Jurassic Park: An Act of God
by BuckJohnson
Summary: Two months have passed since the Isla Nublar Incident. Site A has abandoned, but on Isla Sorna business continues as usual. Officially, the laboratories on Site B will be abandoned because of Hurricane Clarissa, which resulted in the island's evacuation and the dinosaurs being left behind. Unofficially, there is more to the story...
1. First Iteration

**Like I said in the last chapter of The Chaos Continues, this story is unfortunately unfinished. The person I was writing this with hasn't responded in months and it leaves off at a cliffhanger. However, I will still share what was written for this story. And maybe one day a conclusion will be finally written for this installment of the continuity started by The Isla Nublar Incident. If you haven't read The Isla Nublar Incident and The Chaos Continues, then you probably shouldn't read this because An Act of God is a direct sequel set two months after the events of the previous stories. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy this interesting continuation of the story that began on Nublar. It's a prequel to the events of the second movie/novel, showing something that has only been mentioned in the franchise: the evacuation of Site B. This is how Isla Sorna became the Lost World...**

* * *

**First Iteration**

"_At the earliest drawings of the fractal curve, few clues to the underlying mathematical structure will be seen."_

-IAN MALCOLM

**Isla Nublar - 120 Miles West of Costa Rica**

**RESTRICTED BY THE UNITED STATES AND COSTA RICAN GOVERNMENT**

Inside the aquarium, bursts of gunfire and raptor shrieks could be heard. A team of armed individuals was searching the place, defending themselves when they needed to. They had ran afoul with the island's raptor population several times, but had luckily taken no casualties yet. In the building they were currently search several bodies had been found that had been so chewed up by compys that they were no longer recognizable.

Finally they came across the room they were looking for. The door was locked from the inside, an attempt to barricade themselves from the creatures prowling the hallways. One of the individuals knocked on the door, no response.

"Clear out of the way," another said, grabbing a fire ax from the wall. With it the man hacked at the door with the ax and forced his way inside.

It was a control room. This was perhaps the only building on the island that had power, the only building where somebody could call for help. That's what a team of survivors lead by Henry Wu had done. And that is why these people were here, responding to a call they got from the island.

Laura Sorkin's unconscious body rested in a chair, the phone in her hand.

* * *

When Laura Sorkin finally awoke, the first thing she heard was water. She realized that she was on a boat. Looking around, she saw that she was resting on a cot. Her various injuries had been bandaged and treated. There was another sound that Sorkin realized was people talking.

Then somebody walked up to her and offered the woman some water. Sorkin's throat was incredibly dry, so she immediately accepted the offer and drank the refreshing liquid up. Then she recognized the person who had given her the water. She smiled.

"Caleb."

"Hey mom. How are you feeling?"

"Better," Sorkin replied. She remembered now. Being pushed into the tylosaur tank by Wu. Being left there to die. Managing to climb out before she could be killed. Sneaking past raptors and sealing herself off in the control room. Calling her son for help before passing out from exhaustion.

"You didn't come alone," she told Caleb. "Who are your friends?"

"Activists," Caleb explained. "You know, Earth First."

Sorkin had heard of Earth First before, but she didn't know her son had been associated with them. They considered themselves environmentalists. Others would prefer terms like professional saboteurs and criminals. Sorkin was once an animal-rights activist herself and though she didn't always approve of the group's extreme methods, she wasn't really one to talk.

"Rest up," Caleb told Sorkin. "We can talk later."

Sorkin nodded and Caleb left. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. Despite Wu's best efforts, she was still alive. And with her knowledge of InGen, Earth First may have just found themselves a valuable ally. Especially concerning the company's other base of operations… Site B.

* * *

**Two months later…**

Peter Ludlow exited from the meeting in a cheerful mood. Official meetings such as these, were normally quite tedious, but this one had been anything but. All in all, Ludlow was in a good mood. That was until he saw the man standing at the end of the hall, glowering at him with unconcealed contempt in his eyes. Gerry Harding. Ludlow pretended not to notice him - began to turn away - but then his butler, William, intercepted him.

"Visitor for you, sir," William said.

Ludlow sighed and took a deep breath. "Thank you William." He turned, and began to walk slowly toward Harding.

"Dr. Harding," he said diplomatically, with a slight dip of his chin. "What brings you-"

"You know exactly what," Harding spat, before he could finish.

Ludlow pulled up short. "You violated our non-disclosure agreement," he stated, cocking his head ever so slightly to the side.

"I did," Harding agreed.

"I don't think you understand the weight of your actions." Ludlow pressed his fingers together. "That, or you simply don't care."

"I did the right thing, and you made me look like a fool because of it," Harding said contemptuously. "You made me look insane."

"No," Ludlow said. "You made yourself look insane. Without any evidence to back up your absurd claims, can you really be surprised that no one believed you?"

"I have the testimonies of over fifty Costa Ricans, who witnessed firsthand the events that took place," Harding replied.

Ludlow smirked. "And who's going to believe the ramblings of a bunch of Costa Ricans?"

"I also have the report from that doctor, Carter."

That gave Ludlow pause. "You've spoken to Roberta Carter?"

Harding grinned. "She and I are going to work together to expose these lies."

Ludlow frowned. This could be bad. One man's feverish claims could be easily dismissed. But if he had the backing of another prominent figure in the medical community… that could make trouble.

Ludlow told himself to remain calm, and smiled. "Dr. Carter's mother is very ill."

Now it was Harding's turn to appear confused. "What?"

"She has a rare disease. Virtually incurable. However, I think I may have the cure. And I will give it to Dr. Carter, so long as she promises to respect our non-disclosure agreement."

Harding seethed with rage. "You can't silence us! Not for good. There will always be leaks. Always be loose ends."

"All loose ends can be tied, Mr. Harding."

While Harding tried to think of a retort, Ludlow decided he'd had enough of this conversation and swiftly turned away. As he strode down the marble hall, he fully intended to forget the matter completely. There was nothing Harding or anyone could do.

* * *

Henry Wu looked through the journal that had once belonged to Laura Sorkin. He had recovered it on Isla Nublar, along with the rest of his research. Sorkin had kept many secrets from everyone else. Then again, so had Wu.

Wu put away the journal as the helicopter started to land. A welcoming committee awaited him. As Wu got out he was greeted by a woman in a lab coat.

"Welcome to Isla Sorna, Dr. Wu," the woman said as he shook her hand. "I'm Lori Ruso, high supervisor of the InGen facilities here. It is an honor to have you with us."

"I wish the circumstances were better though," Wu said.

"How long has it been since you've been at Site B?" Ruso asked.

"I don't remember," Wu answered. "Months, at least. My last visit must have been when they started shipping specimens to the park. After that, Hammond needed me almost 24/7 at Site A to make sure the resort opened by the deadline."

"I was sorry to hear about Hammond," Ruso said sadly. "It's a shame what happened."

"How much have you heard?"

"Just rumors, unfortunately. The board is being careful with how much they tell us. But you were there, right?"

Wu nodded. "Yeah… I was there."

"Usually our staff is only as large as it needs to be," Ruso told Wu. "But with all the personnel that Ludlow is sending, we might be overstaffed. But better to have more help than less help, right?"

"Are you certain that the dinosaurs on this island aren't breeding?" Wu wanted to know. "I heard that you release them into the wild to mature because of contamination issues. We don't want a population that's reproducing out there."

"We… aren't completely sure," Ruso admitted. "But we're taking action to confirm it. John Arnold, the chief engineer Hammond hired for Site A, is helping us with that problem. Do you know him?"

Wu nodded. "Is a man named Trey Roland here as well?"

"Oh yes," Ruso quickly admitted. "It's been all hands on deck. We've assigned Roland with our other maintenance teams. Even Dr. Atherton is here…"

"Norman Atherton?" Wu asked. "Chief geneticist in InGen's early years?"

"Yes. Wasn't he your mentor?"

Wu smiled for the first time that day. "He taught me everything I know."

"Well, then you must see him. I'll take you there."

Ruso and Wu got in a jeep. Behind them, the helicopter took off and headed back to the mainland as Ruso's jeep headed down the dirt road into the jungle.

Several minutes later, the worker village came into view. Ruso parked the keep, then she and Wu disembarked. Ruso led the way into the laboratory. She asked one of the scientists, "We're looking for Dr. Atherton, have you seen him?"

"Yes," the scientist replied, "I believe he is checking on Andy."

As Ruso began to walk away, Wu asked, "Who's Andy?"

Ruso smiled. "He's an Euoplocephalus," she said. "One of the originals. He has a history with diseases. Never seems to get better. Some of us think we should just euthanize him, but Atherton refuses to allow it. He's grown attached."

They climbed back into the jeep and drove off to the euoplocephalus paddock.

Another jeep was parked at the edge on the paddock. The jeep's former occupant, a man, was now in one of the paddock's fields with a tranquilized Euoplocephalus. The man spoke softly to the animal, patting her head gently as he took a blood sample from the dinosaur's thick skin. When he saw Ruso and Wu, he smiled and waved.

"You should get this blood sample tested in the lab," the scientist told Ruso when the woman got out of the jeep. "If we can cure Andy, we could care for the other Euoplocephalus more easily. This isn't just about Andy, it's about the whole species. We know nothing about these animals or their immune systems, so what can learn now will be important for the future. Especially if we want them in a condition appropriate for tourists."

"Dr. Atherton, we can talk about this later," Ruso said. "I've brought you Henry Wu."

Atherton noticed Wu for the first time. He smiled widely and pulled Wu into a tight hug. "Henry, it's been too long! How has it been?"

"It's good to see you again, Norman," Wu said with a smile. "I haven't been well, honestly. The events of the past two months have been pretty stressful…"

"I understand," Atherton said sympathetically. "An unfortunate setback, but perhaps a necessary one. We can learn from our mistakes and if the Incident had happened while the park was open, things could have been much worse."

Norman Atherton had founded InGen ten years ago alongside his partners, John Hammond and Benjamin Lockwood. He cloned a 'dwarf elephant' that Hammond used to show new investors what the company was capable of. Unfortunately, Hammond and Lockwood had a disagreement that lead to a falling out. And Atherton had been replaced by Wu due to health concerns he had been suffering. But now he insisted that his time on Site B had improved his health greatly.

"I must give you a tour," Atherton insisted. "So much has changed since you've been here. Maybe it will even cheer you up. We're making great progress and one day the world will celebrate what we've done here."

"Aren't you worried that Ludlow is going to shut you down?" Wu asked.

"Henry, look at Andy," Atherton insisted. "We brought him and many others back to life. Nobody else has ever done that. Consider the value of all that we have done. Why would anyone throw that away? It would be foolish!"

"I guess you're right," Wu admitted.

"Henry, do you know a man named Gerry Harding?" Atherton asked.

"Uh, yeah. I do."

"Well, I would like him on Isla Sorna with us. He's the best in his field and we could use his help concerning any health-related issues regarding the animals. Andy is one example, but there are others. Small problems at the moment, but I'm worried about the bigger picture. The staff is good, but we need the best. We need Gerry Harding."

"Me and Gerry aren't on speaking terms at the moment."

"Really? Too bad. Oh well, I'm sure Ludlow could convince him one way or another. All this extra personnel is appreciated. I don't mind one bit that our operations now have InGen's full attention. What we're doing here is very important. World-changing, even."

Atherton and Wu got into the jeep with Ruso. They began driving away and Wu cast one last glimpse of the tranquilized Euoplocephalus, the rest of the herd gathered around a distant watering hole.

* * *

Harding sat on his couch, exhausted. He stared at the wall for several long minutes, lost in the dark, confusing world of his own thoughts.

Then he heard a sound that sent shivers down his back: the familiar, rattling snarl of a Velociraptor. The creature was in the room! Harding leapt to his feet and whirled around. There it was, in the corner, crouched over the body of Jess. Harding screamed. He was roused by Atlanta, his adopted daughter. She was shaking his arm.

"Wake up, Gerry!" She said. She still hadn't gotten used to calling him 'dad'. "Wake up! You're dreaming."

Harding took several deep breaths as reality returned to him. "Right. Sorry," he said. "Where's Jess?"

"Out with friends," Atlanta said.

"She didn't offer to take you with her?" Harding wondered.

"She did, but I said I'd rather stay."

"Why?"

Atlanta shrugged. She looked embarrassed. "I'm not used to living in a city like this."

"Your English is really improving," Harding said, changing the subject. "In fact, I'll bet you could make a lot of money teaching English to other Costa Ricans."

"That would be good," Atlanta agreed.

The phone rang. Harding picked it up. "Hello?"

"Harding." It was Ludlow. The sound of his voice almost made Harding hang up.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to insert as much contempt into is voice as possible.

"I have a business opportunity for you," Ludlow said, cheerfully.

"You can stick it up your butt," Harding spat. "I don't care what it is: I'll never work for your company again. I'm done."

"That's too bad," Ludlow said. "I was really hoping we might be able to turn a new chapter in our relationship. Do you know Norman Atherton?"

"He helped build InGen with Hammond and Lockwood. So what?"

"He's asked for you personally to help him," Ludlow informed. "According to him, you're the best in the business."

"Yeah, because all the other guys are dead!"

There was a pause. "Should I tell him you're not interested?"

Harding almost said yes, but then had a second thought. Of course, the thought of working for InGen again reviled him, but this might be exactly the opportunity he was looking for. If he was on-site, it would make it all the easier to gather some incriminating evidence that could potentially put InGen out of business for good. And Atherton was a good man. Maybe, Harding could convince him to help him in his plight to take down InGen.

"I'll talk to him," Harding decided.

"Excellent," Ludlow said. "I'm very glad you decided to do this. I would have hated to be forced to take more… shall we say… drastic measures."

Doom rushed through Harding. "What do you mean by that?"

There was a pause, then Ludlow said, "Keep an eye on your daughters, Dr. Harding," and hung up.

* * *

John "Ray" Arnold preferred an indoor control room to field work. But he was willing to put up with insects and heat to prevent something like the Isla Nublar Incident or the mainland attacks from happening again.

He remembered what Malcolm had told him in the hospital about how the dinosaurs bred in the wild without their knowledge. Now Arnold lead the search for unauthorized breeding sites on Isla Sorna, using satellite photos and heat signatures to determine the most likely places nests would be build.

Sure enough, the dinosaurs on Sorna were breeding just like the ones on Nublar. But hopefully the population could be controlled this time. Arnold had just found another site. This time, it was the Maiasaura. The hadrosaurs tried to protect their eggs, but one of Arnold's companions used a sound-producing box to keep the dinosaurs at bay while Arnold smashed the unhatched eggs. There would still be hatched young to worry about, but destroying the sites was a start.

Meanwhile, Trey Roland was working with the maintenance crews to reinforce the fences and walls. Security and safety was the priority of these revisions. What had happened with Jurassic Park was still fresh in everyone's mind. Everyone had work to do, but nobody complained. The threats the dinosaurs posed was now being completely taken seriously. No shortcuts would be made this time.

* * *

Atherton's satellite phone began to ring. He asked Ruso to pull over, which she did. Atherton got out of the jeep and put the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Norman Atherton?" said a voice.

"Yes?"

"I'm Gerry Harding. I was the chief vet on Nublar," said the voice.

Atherton smiled. "Gerry! Good to hear from you! How have you been?"

There was a steady silence, which was an answer in and of itself. Atherton pressed: "Well, I'm glad you decided to contact me. I was very sorry to hear about the incident on Nublar, and Costa Rica. So many lives lost. I want to make it right, Gerry."

"You want to make it right?" Harding said, his voice rising to anger. "Then shut it down! All of it. Burn that island to the ground and then, maybe, we can start thinking about making it right!"

His anger shocked Atherton, who had never heard Harding yell before. "I understand your frustration, I really do," he said. "You're not the only one who has suffered! I lost my best friend on that island. I know just as well as you do the danger this island poses to the world. Which is exactly why I contacted you. We can't just burn it down and pretend it never happened: we have to learn from our past mistakes to prevent something from happening in the future. And we must protect this science from men like Dodgson. If it were to fall into his hands, the damage could be astronomical."

"Norman," Harding said. "You're deluded. Ludlow is a hack. He's using you and everyone else to get rich. That's all he cares about: money. I don't know what kind of lies he told you to get you to agree to help him, but you have to trust me on this: he's a liar and a fraud. He has and will sacrifice human life to get what he wants. You must be able to see that!"

Atherton was disturbed by this report of Ludlow's intentions. "What proof do you have of this?"

"The devil's in the details," Harding said. "Alright, I'll come down there. Help you contain, or whatever it is you said. More than that, I'll show you exactly what kind of a man Ludlow is. And why InGen must be destroyed."

Atherton ended his call. "Good news, Henry. Harding is on his way here."

"Oh," Wu said. "That's… wonderful."

"After the tour I want you to be there when he arrives. It would be wise to welcome Harding to Site B with a familiar face."

"I don't think he wants to see me, Norman."

"Henry, what happened on Isla Nublar wasn't your fault. Harding can't hold you responsible and he'll realize that. I'm sure he'll come around once he sees this place."

Wu nodded, but secretly he disagreed. Despite his mentor's attempts to comfort him, there was still a guilt inside that he couldn't shake. Wu couldn't blame Harding if he hated the scientist's guts. But hopefully they would be able to put their differences aside. For the greater good.

Ruso started the jeep again and Wu only half-listened to Atherton's speeches as they drove along.

* * *

Gerry Harding didn't like telling his daughters that he had to leave, especially since the Incident had only occurred two months ago. Harding explained that it was some business with InGen he had to take care of, Atlanta was suspicious and Jess was worried. He had to call Sarah, since she was out of town. Luckily, Jess' mom could take care of the girls while Harding was away. Harding's wife had been surprised when he came home with Atlanta, but she welcomed the Costa Rican into their house with open arms and accepted her as family. Harding honestly had no idea how long he would be gone, but he hoped that it wouldn't be long.

There was already somebody waiting for him at the San Diego airport. A young woman with black hair and dark eyes. "Ludlow told me to wait for you," she told Harding with a forced smile. "I'm Jane Powers, the new head of public relations for InGen. I had to handle the press when you broke your non-disclosure agreement."

Harding recognized an anger in the woman's eyes, a bitterness toward the man who made her job so much difficult after just being promoted. "You are aware of what happened to the last head of public relations, right?" he asked.

"What happened to my predecessor was unfortunate," Powers answered. "But that's in the past. John Hammond and Isla Nublar is behind us."

"You can't ignore the lives ruined by the Incident," Harding argued. "You are lying about the deaths of good people. Ed Regis is only one of them. They deserve better."

"You're going to miss your flight," Powers interrupted. "I'll be accompanying you to Site B. Ludlow wants me to keep a close eye on you."

"Of course," Harding sighed as Powers lead him to the awaiting InGen helicopter. _Isla Sorna, here I come._

* * *

Ruso, Wu and Atherton stopped in front of the hadrosaur pen. Wu looked to his right, and saw a herd of enormous duck-bills. He identified them at once as Edmontosaurus.

"Edmontosaurus," Atherton confirmed. "But I'm sure you knew that."

Atherton gazed at the herbivores with a fondness in his eyes.

"Remember the very first time we bred one of these?" he asked Wu.

The corners of Wu's mouth inched upward. "Of course. It was one of the most spectacular moments of my life."

By now the herd was moving on. The lead hadrosaur trumpeted and lead her group toward the lake. It was then that Wu noticed another jeep in the pen, and two people standing near it.

"Who are they?" he asked, pointing.

"Those are the newbies," Ruso informed him. "Abby Nakajima and Derek Hoyle."

"Come on, let's go say hi," Atherton suggested. "I'm sure they'd love to meet you."

"Derek, we got company," a young Asian woman with glasses told her brown-haired partner, pointing out the people that were walking toward them. "It's Ruso, Atherton, and… oh my gosh."

"What is it?" Derek asked Abby, turning his attention away from the hadrosaurs. But Abby had already ran up to the approaching trio.

"Henry Wu!" the woman shrieked excitedly. "My name is Abby Nakajima. Big fan of your ground-breaking work. I'm a scientist myself, though I'm nowhere near your level of course. I've been here for a week with my partner, Derek Hoyle. I wanted to meet you so much, but I didn't think I would ever - it's a real honor, Dr. Wu. I'm sorry for being unprofessional, I'm just so excited."

"It's alright," Wu reassured, smiling. Abby reminded himself of what he was like when he was a student, enthusiastic and ambitious. He shook Abby's hand, who had managed to control herself.

"Derek Hoyle," the man with Abby introduced. He shook Wu's hand as well. "Though my partner already told you that."

"So what are you doing in the hadrosaur pen?" Wu asked.

"The labs are overstaffed," Derek explained. "They didn't need us, so we decided to use the extra time to get a closer look at the dinosaurs. They really are amazing."

"Do these scientists remind of someone?" Atherton teased. "I always enjoy the company of such young eager minds. Abby and Derek show so much potential. I'm certain that they will bring a lot to our staff."

"Thank you, Dr. Atherton," Abby nodded. "I also wanted to talk to you about Dr. Gustavus."

"You're better off leaving him alone," Atherton told Abby. "Dr. Gustavus is one of the top geneticists in the world. We can't afford to lose him. Steer clear of his business. The last time he threatened to quit we had to fire some of our other staff. An unfortunate loss, but InGen would do anything to keep him. Especially considering everything he knows. A company like Biosyn would give anything for Gustavus' knowledge."

"Yes sir," Abby sighed, though it was obvious she still had something to say. "Do we have to go back to the lab?"

"No, no," Atherton dismissed. "That's unnecessary. Like you said, we're overstaffed. Enjoy your time on the island. There's nothing wrong with admiring the creatures that you are helping to make. Take pride in our work and our creations. Site B is the legacy of John Hammond, to be appreciated and protected. You two are doing just fine. I encourage your curiosity."

Smiling at the two scientists, Atherton walked back to the jeep with Wu and Ruso.

"I know Dr. Gustavus," Wu told them. "Has he been causing trouble?"

"For a while now," Ruso confirmed. "He mostly keeps to himself though and most people know better than to disturb him. Some of the newbies think he's just an old coot, but he does bring a lot to the staff. Ludlow has insisted that we keep his loyalty. He is a brilliant geneticist and is worth keeping, but has caused me a lot of headaches over the past two months."

"He's been worse since the Incident?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I think that he's not confident that InGen has a future. He's been demanding more pay, threatening to quit, and has been spending more afternoons by himself. Ludlow likes his results though and for that reason alone he's not going anywhere if we can do anything about it. The staff is worried that Ludlow could shut us down any day now."

"Which is ridiculous," Atherton added.

"It still should be considered," Ruso argued. "Ludlow is in charge now. Not Hammond. If we want to stay in business, we have to please him."

Atherton didn't respond and the three got back in the jeep. Abby and Derek watched the jeep drive off, then continued observing the hadrosaurs.

"Where are we going now?" Wu asked.

"I thought we'd let you see Arnold," said Ruso, glancing at him. "He was glad to hear that you were coming."

"Glad?" Wu was surprised. Nowadays, people were anything but glad to see him. _It would be nice to see a familiar face,_ Wu thought. He and Arnold had rarely spoken since the Nublar Incident. It was too bad; the two of them had been friends back during the days of the park.

"Of course," Atherton said, a puzzled look on his face. "You really must stop assuming that everyone hates you."

They drove down a deserted jungle road, deeper into the island. Being surrounded by trees on all sides, caused anxiety within Wu. He recalled those tense hours back on Nublar, being hunted by deadly creatures…

"Here we are," Ruso announced, as she pulled the jeep to a stop. Wu glanced up. A group of people was gathered by the edge of the road, talking among themselves. All of them were armed to the teeth. Wu picked out Arnold's familiar dark skin among the other men and women. He followed Ruso and Atherton out of the car and they walked toward the group.

Atherton greeted a man with a large beard and hazel eyes. Wu focused his attention on Arnold. He smiled and said, "Hi, Ray."

Arnold readjusted the backpack he had on his back, and nodded. "Good to see you, Wu." Arnold looked very different than how Henry remembered. He was decked out in some fine equipment, and he displayed some additional bandages on his arms. He had a long scar on his right arm where the Troodon had bit him. This was a very different man than the frightened engineer Henry had known on Nublar. And even his physique had changed - he went from a weedy computer engineer to someone who looked like he hunted dangerous game for a living. His muscles were lean and strong, evidence of many hours spent trudging through the wilderness.

"You look - tough," Henry admired, a little shocked. "I never really took you for the outdoorsy-type."

"Guess I had a change of heart," Arnold said proudly. "Engineering is always what I'll be known for, but life in the outdoors - it ain't all that bad. So what brings you here, Henry?"

"I was asked to come," Wu said, gesturing to Atherton who was still in conversation with the bearded man.

"That man with the beard? That's Noah. Noah Frazier. He's a ex-marine. Served fifteen years before they kicked him out. Became a wildlife expert - and now he works for us," Arnold said. "Tough guy. Knows his stuff. We more or less take all our orders from him."

Noah turned his eyes onto Wu, and stuck out a meaty hand. "The famous Henry Wu. An honor." He said those words with obvious contempt. Wu shook his hand. "You must be Noah."

"That's right," Noah replied. "I see my reputation precedes me. Well, we best be going. Have a lot of messes to clean up." He glanced at Wu, somewhat implying that Wu was responsible for all of their woes.

"Don't mind him," said Arnold. "He's all bark and no bite. Not having enemies shooting at him 24/7 has made him soft. I'll bet you could take him down."

"Thanks, but I don't think I'll try anytime soon," Wu said.

* * *

Ian Malcolm had just finished another lecture. It had gone smoothly, except when he was asked his thoughts on the rumors of InGen's activities in Costa Rica. Somehow the press had learned of his hospital stay there several months ago and after a story about cloned dinosaurs was leaked Malcolm had found himself hounded by people looking for a connection. Malcolm, however, had told them nothing and it seemed like the excitement over InGen's rumored genetic creations was starting to die down.

As Malcolm left the institute, he found somebody waiting for him. A pretty face he had seen during his recovery in the aftermath of the Incident.

"Dr. Harding," Malcolm smiled. "What a surprise and a pleasure. How are you?"

"It's great to see you again, Dr. Malcolm," Sarah Harding answered, returning the smile. "I'm doing fine. After everything I experienced, going back to lions and tigers is boring in comparison."

"I imagine so," Malcolm chuckled. "How's your family? Is Jess and your father doing well? What about that Atlanta girl you adopted?"

"Mom reacted to Atlanta well," Sarah explained. "Atlanta is adapting pretty well, though she is having some trouble adjusting. We just have to give her time though. Jess is fine as well. And I imagine you read about my father."

"Yeah, in the tabloids. Breaking the non-disclosure agreement was not a good idea. He didn't stand a chance against Ludlow."

"That's why I'm here, actually. You're a respected chaotician, Dr. Malcolm. If you supported my father's story-"

"I would lose my credibility and become a laughing stock. No thank you, Dr. Harding. I am not about to lose my career."

"Dr. Malcolm, the public deserves to know the truth. InGen covered up the deaths of innocent people. Deaths that they need to be held responsible for. If they're not exposed, history could repeat itself. Please."

Malcolm was silent for a moment. Then he sighed. "Fine. Let's talk about this more over lunch. And please, call me Ian."

Sarah smiled. "It's a date then. And only if you call me Sarah, Ian."

The two walked off together. They had a lot to discuss.

* * *

Lewis Dodgson was in his office, going over some paperwork. He heard a knock on the door, and called out, "Who is it?"

"Laura Sorkin," came the reply. Sorkin?! But… she was supposed to be dead! According to Wu's report, she died on the island. How was this possible? "Come in!" he said eagerly, wanting to know how this was possible.

The door opened and in walked Laura Sorkin. She looked bad, Dodgson thought. Scars all over her face. The bags under her eyes were dark. Her right eye was an odd shade of red. She looked old and frail, hardly the gun-toting scientist that Dodgson had met and worked briefly with on the island.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

Sorkin walked forward and calmly took a seat. She folded her hands on her lap, then looked at Dodgson. "I believe we have a common enemy in Henry Wu," she said. "He has been your biggest hurdle for the last few years. It was his team that prevented you from getting your hands on the research which would have benefited your company greatly."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Dodgson informed her. "I have something much better."

"Oh? What's that?"

"Sorry. Company secrets."

"A shame. I really thought you trusted me."

"After you threatened me with a gun?!"

Sorkin smiled. "Sorry about that," she said, not so sincerely. "It seems I, too, was temporarily blinded by desperation. I have paid dearly for my inconsonance, as you can see." She gestured to her battered face.

"How are you even still alive? Wu said you fell into the drink, got eaten by a tylosasaur."

"Wu said," Sorkin said, a note of bitterness in her voice. "Since when did Wu's word mean anything?"

Dodgson leaned back in his seat, the way he always did when he was considering something. "So why are you here?"

"I wish to destroy Henry Wu's career once and for all, and unlike last time, now I have the means to accomplish my goal."

"What means?" Dodgson asked.

"My son is with a group. Earth First. They've long held resentment toward Hammond and his projects."

"So what are you planning?"

"I have a man on the inside. He's been feeding me information on what InGen's been doing on that island."

"Nublar?"

"No. Sorna. Site B."

Dodgson frowned. "Site B?"

Sorkin straightened up, and smiled. "I can see we're going to have to start from the beginning."

* * *

"Dr. Harding, wake up," Jane Powers ordered, snapping Gerry Harding out of his nap. "We're here."

Harding groaned upon being brought back into reality. He looked out the window and saw what was coming up.

Isla Sorna, which roughly meant 'Sarcasm Island' in Spanish. Part of a chain called The Muertes Archipelago, also known as The Five Deaths. The name came from a Native American myth about a brave warrior facing a different execution on each of the five islands: burning, drowning, crushing, hanging and beheading. InGen owned all five islands, but to Harding's knowledge all but Isla Sorna had been left alone.

Isla Sorna, the largest island of the chain, was located 207 miles west of Costa Rica and code named Site B. In the distant past the island had been occupied by Indians and in the 1860s a coffee plantation had been built. It was later owned by a German mining company, but currently the island was the location of the InGen worker village Burroughs and the various research facilities, that created most of the dinosaurs and nursed them in temporary enclosures before they were fit to be shipped off to Jurassic Park, located 87 miles west of InGen's 'factory floor.'

Gerry Harding hadn't been to Isla Sorna in several years. He was surprised that it hadn't been abandoned yet since the collapse of Isla Nublar, but Ludlow must have plans for the island. Surely he couldn't be thinking of another Jurassic Park…

The helicopter touched down on a landing strip. Jane Powers got out first and she beckoned Harding to follow her. Harding did so and he froze when he saw who was waiting for him by a jeep.

Harding wasn't sure if he should be angry or glad to see the familiar face. Henry Wu.

* * *

Ludlow was at home, cooking himself some dinner, when his phone rang. Inwardly, he groaned; usually, a phone call at this hour could only mean bad news. He wiped his greasy fingers on a towel and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Mr. Ludlow." That was Teddy, his assistant. "I have news."

"Yes?" Ludlow said impatiently. _Get on with it!_ he thought.

"We have reason to believe that a spy has infiltrated Site B," Teddy informed him.

Ludlow leaned against the counter, suddenly dizzy. "A spy?"

"Yes sir. We intercepted some sensitive documents. Quite by accident, I might add. I think you had better read them for yourself."

"Right, right," Ludlow muttered, hardly able to comprehend the words he was hearing. Just when everything seemed to be getting back to normal… "I'll be there in fifteen minutes." He hung up, and stared at the phone for a moment before redialing. It rang for several moments, then a woman's voice answered.

"Hi, Karen," Ludlow said. "Listen, I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to cancel tonight. Big emergency at work. Yeah. I'm sorry. Tomorrow? Okay. Sounds good." He ended the call and put the phone on the counter. He glanced at the meal he had prepared, suddenly his appetite was gone. He walked to the door and grabbed his coat.

* * *

"Henry," Harding acknowledged after several moments of awkward silence.

"Gerry," Wu replied. "How are your daughters?"

"I would rather be with them right now, if that's what you're asking," Harding answered.

"I'm sorry," Wu apologized. "Having you come here wasn't my decision."

"I understand," Harding nodded. "This wasn't your fault."

_It's Ludlow's_, Harding thought.

A man came up from behind Wu and shook Harding's hand, smiling. "Dr. Harding, I'm so glad that you're here. I'm Norman Atherton. Hammond always spoke so highly of you. I look forward to working with his chief veterinarian."

Atherton reminded Harding of Hammond. Eccentric and brilliant, but dangerously naive.

"I hope that we can talk later," Harding told Atherton. "About what we spoke over the phone."

"Perhaps later," Atherton dismissed. "There are other matters to attend to first that require your expertise."

Harding saw another woman with Wu and Atherton, somebody he recognized from his last visit to the island. "Lori," he greeted.

"Gerry," the woman replied.

"What the hell?!" Harding heard Jane Powers scream. Harding's attention was taken away from the welcoming committee and to the head of public relations, who was dragging two girls by their arms.

"Jess!" Harding realized in horror. "Atlanta!"

"I found them in the luggage space," Jane explained. "I recommend we have them sent back immediately."

"Of course," Harding agreed.

"Dad, I just didn't want us to be separated again," Jess begged. "Not after what happened last time. I was worried. So was Atlanta."

"We're here to watch your back," Atlanta added. "No more splitting up. I… I didn't want you to be alone. Aren't you tired of InGen keeping you away from your family?"

"They'll be safe," Atherton promised. "I can take them to the nursery. Kathy will watch them and keep the girls busy."

Harding sighed. Jess was just like her older sister. But he couldn't blame her. "Your mom is going to kill me," he said, shaking his head. "She must be worried sick."

Atherton offered his satellite phone and Harding called his wife. She was of course furious and wanted her daughters back in San Diego, but reluctantly agreed to have the girls stay with Harding.

"Just don't let anything happen to them," she said before ending the call.

Atlanta recognized Wu and she glared at him. "I'm sorry, Dad," Jess apologized.

"It's fine," Harding said. "But when we get back home you two are grounded for a long time."

"That's only fair," Atlanta sighed. She just wanted to be here for Harding, especially after he was there for her on Nublar. It might be foolish, but her new family mattered more to her. That and proving her suspicions of InGen…

"I have some work to do. I want you two to go to the nursery with Norman," Harding told Jess and Atlanta.

"Come on. I'll bet you're excited to see some dinosaurs," said Atherton brightly.

Jess and Atlanta shared a look. "Well…"

They and Atherton got into the jeep and sped off. Harding watched them leave, anxiously.

"Don't worry about them," Ruso consoled. "Norman will keep a close eye on them."

"In the meantime, we have a lot of work to do," Wu said. "And the sooner we get done the sooner you can go home."

"Great," Harding said dryly. "Where do we start?"

* * *

Elsewhere, the infamous Dr. Gustavus returned to his private bunker on the other side of Isla Sorna. he enjoyed his privacy and his own sanctuary he could retreat to was one of his requests when InGen hired him. Luckily, they were willing to meet his needs and so far he had been left alone, though some of the newer members of the staff were starting to get nosy. But Gustavus could always get them fired before they uncovered anything.

But right now it was feeding time.

Gustavus walked over to one of the bunker's cages. Animals stirred in the dark and pairs of glowing eyes watched Gustavus. In the shadows the animals clicked and hissed at him.

"Don't worry," Gustavus reassured. "You won't go hungry on my watch."

Gustavus had brought with him ground-up sheep meat, that's what all the carnivorous dinosaurs at Site B were fed. He tossed the meat into the cage and a claw dragged the food out of sight. Gustavus listened to the creatures devouring their meal.

"You're welcome," Gustavus said, not expecting a reply. He let the Troodon enjoy the meat, they weren't the only dinosaurs he kept in here. And they were certainly hungry as well…

* * *

The jeep bounced down the jungle road. Noah was driving, and Arnold was in the passenger seat. He drank from a canteen, then offered the canteen to the man in the seat behind him, Jeff. Jeff took it and took a drink, then passed it back to Arnold. Arnold passed it to Noah, who shook his head in refusal.

"I never drink and drive," he explained.

"Smart idea," Arnold replied, and had another drink.

They were almost done for the day. Noah just wanted to hit a couple more nests. Next up were the Herrerasaurus nests. Herrerasaurus' were nasty little dinosaurs; bigger than a raptor and just a vicious, they could snap your neck with the slightest jerk. But nevertheless, Arnold would rather face a pack of Herrerasaurus than a pack of Velociraptors.

The jeep rolled to a stop. Noah grabbed his rifle and jumped out. "Alright boys, last one. Let's make it quick." Everyone grunted in reply. Arnold followed his team into the jungle thicket. They kept their wits about them, keeping watch on all sides of them at once.

Then Arnold smelled something: something rank and disgusting. He stopped, "Wait." The rest of the procession stopped, too. "What is it?" Noah asked. Arnold tapped his nose, "Smell that?" Noah's mustache twitched as he took a biff whiff: "Yeah, smells like dead meat."

Arnold nodded. He looked around, and determined that the smell was coming from a nearby hole in the ground. He made his way towards it. The stench was overpowering. He looked inside the hole. A dead Herrerasaurus. But something else too… something white and brittle. Almost looked like an eggshell. Arnold reached inside the hole and grabbed the eggshell. His fingers brushed against the rotting meat, and he gagged. He pulled his hand out and examined the object. It was an eggshell, all right.

"What's that doing there?" Noah wondered aloud.

Arnold shook his head. "Maybe it was a nest?" He turned the shell over in his hands. There was something in the back of his mind itching to surface. Something about this was wrong, but he didn't know what. Suddenly, it came to him, and he froze in shock.

"We have to get back to mission control. Now," Arnold said, standing up suddenly, knocking into Noah. "What? Why?" the larger man asked.

"We just have to," Arnold said, and ran back to the jeep without looking to see if the others were following.

_There shouldn't be any on this island,_ Arnold thought to himself. But he couldn't afford to take any chances. _If there are really Troodon on Sorna… then we're in big trouble._

* * *

**So... there's a lot to talk about.**

**I mentioned this before, but I did intend for Sorkin to be killed by the dinosaurs she protected at the end of The Isla Nublar Incident. When Wu locked her in the room with her Troodon, I considered her dead and I planned to have her body found in The Chaos Continues, converted into a nest. But my friend who I was doing the Interactive Storytelling Game with, TheRexMan22, was the one who revealed that Sorkin was indeed still alive and I loved that idea because of the potential conflict she could cause. Then I discussed with him the possibility of having Sorkin seemingly dying and later turning up alive be a running gag, give her Joker immunity and see how many times we could 'kill' her off before giving Sorkin a definitive, unambiguous death. So when she fell into the Tylosaurus tank in The Chaos Continues, I knew that she was going to come back. And it makes sense, since I've said before that I consider Wu the main character and she is his greatest enemy, her continued survival acting as a thorn in his side. Her son Caleb was foreshadowed in The Chaos Continues by a picture found in her lab. Caleb Sorkin actually appeared in some old storytelling games I ran on a website that no longer exists, where he was a mercenary working for InGen in a retelling of The Lost World. Caleb became a breakout character of that game, similar to Trey Roland from The Isla Nublar Incident. Earth First was brought up in The Lost World movie and I thought they could make interesting antagonists here, though I apologize if my portrayal of a real environmental extremist group makes anyone uncomfortable.**

**The herbivore scenes in this iteration was my attempt to make up for the lack of peaceful dinosaur scenes in The Chaos Continues, where the only herbivores in that story was Ralph's family of Triceratops and a lone Parasaurolophus. Atlanta and Jess sneaking onto the island may feel a little forced, but I did want them involved in the action because this may be the last time that they could get some focus and I wanted to continue their storyline about Atlanta adjusting to her new family. I felt like there was still more that could be done with the Harding family and I at least checked to see if a helicopter luggage space was big enough to fit two teenage girls. It was ultimately necessary because I wanted more scenes of Atlanta interacting with her adoptive sister and father, my goal being for Atlanta to call Gerry 'dad' near the end of An Act of God.**

**Biosyn having dinosaur eggs was only hinted at by Dodgson's comment about 'company secrets' but I did have plans to follow up on that ending more. Only time will tell if those plans will ever come through.**

**Yes, Malcolm does have a subplot in this story despite not being on Isla Sorna. This story is supposed to lead into the events of The Lost World and Malcolm is the main character there, so An Act of God is going to set Malcolm on the path to becoming how he is in the second movie where his reputation is ruined after unsuccessfully exposing InGen. I also wanted to have Malcolm interact with Sarah more, building up to their future relationship. I also consider Malcolm to be the other main character of this franchise besides Wu, which is why I'm using the seven iterations and Malcolm quotes each time. In the original novel Malcolm was a stand-in for the author and his theories are present throughout the series. I also just like writing Malcolm, especially thanks to his relationships with the Harding family.**

**I did include some references to the video game Trespasser, like some details about the history of Isla Sorna and naming the worker village Burroughs, which was a level in Trespasser and a reference in itself to the writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote The Land That Time Forgot and its two sequels. There are also references to the second novel that hint at Site B's darker side, but I won't give them away if you didn't notice them.**

**I did bring back the Troodon, because I still consider them to be the main dinosaur antagonists of the series and I want to continue that trend. They don't get as many dark moments as they did in The Chaos Continues though.**

**Finally, let's talk about all the new characters. Lori Ruso was actually a character mentioned in an email found in the second novel, an email that indicated she was the high supervisor of the facilities on Site B before they were abandoned by InGen. Here she is actually one of the main characters. Norman Atherton is also a character only mentioned in the novels. He actually died of heart cancer five years before the events of the first novel, but was still the original chief geneticist of InGen before being replaced by Wu. Lockwood from Fallen Kingdom was actually inspired partially by Atherton. In An Act of God I decided to include Atherton because he could shed some light on InGen's beginnings, following up on the appearance of Lockwood during Hammond's funeral. And since Wu is arguably the main character, showing him interacting with his old mentor could be pretty interesting. Abby, Derek, and Gustavus are all from the non-canon Topps comic "Return to Jurassic Park." I felt like the infamous Dr. Gustavus was actually the perfect way to bring the Troodon and other creatures onto Sorna. Fans of the video game "Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis" might recognize the name of Jane Powers, who helped players please their park visitors within the game. The 'Kathy' that Atherton mentioned was a minor character featured in the original novel, she'll be making a proper appearance in the next iteration. Basically for this story I looked for obscure InGen employees and threw them onto Site B, giving them a lot more exposure then they had in other material.**

**Anyway, that's all for now. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.**


	2. Second Iteration

**I know I just uploaded the first chapter, but I decided there was no reason to delay when I already had it all written. You can still pace yourself while reading, but I might as well just publish what I have finished and get it over with. So here's part two of when went down on Site B in August of 1989...**

* * *

**Second Iteration**

"_With subsequent drawings of the fractal curve, sudden changes may appear."_

-IAN MALCOLM

Using a life-like puppet of an adult Hypsilophodon's head, Atlanta fed the shy hatchings. The woman at the nursery, Kathy, was very nice and she instructed the girls on how to care for all the infant dinosaurs that were kept there. Atlanta had some very negative memories about the dinosaurs she encountered on Isla Nublar, but she also remembered the baby Triceratops named Ralph that she had been allowed to pet. This nursery was similar to that good memory among that awful experience. Atlanta even smiled as she was reminded that not all dinosaurs wanted to kill her.

Jess was feeding a group of Mussaurus with Kathy. "How long are the dinosaurs kept here?" Jess asked.

"A few months," Kathy explained. "When the animals reach their juvenile stage we release them into temporary enclosures. We use radio collars to keep track of them, though some species chew them off. Like the raptors, for example."

Jess froze. She remembered when the bunker on Isla Nublar was broken into by Velociraptors. "Are there any raptors on this island?"

"We always have a few in case the Big One killed any," Kathy answered. "Don't worry, they're always watched and guarded. Especially during the night."

"Good," Jess nodded.

"How many dinosaurs did InGen create?" Atlanta wanted to know, figuring that the hatchlings didn't need her help anymore.

"I don't know," Kathy admitted. "You'll have to ask one of our geneticists, like Henry."

Atlanta didn't answer. Wu was one of the last people she wanted to talk to.

"What's going to happen to all these infants now that Jurassic Park is shut down for good?" Jess asked, breaking the silence.

"Nobody knows," Kathy sighed. "It's our duty to nurture them until they're old enough to take care of themselves, but I'm not sure what's going to happen to Site B. Ludlow might decide to put them all down, but I hope that's not the case. I've grown quite attached to my babies."

"I can see why," Jess giggled. A Mussaurus was licking her hand, the tongue tickling her skin.

Atlanta didn't say anything, but she personally thought that putting down these creatures might be a good idea. As cute as the infants were, InGen was still creating invasive species and releasing them into ecosystems unprepared for herbivores and carnivores of such size. The damage that could be done to local flora and fauna was potentially catastrophic. And there were all the lives ruined by InGen's animals. Including her mother's. If they were kept in a controlled environment it could work, but InGen had been reckless and that recklessness had disastrous consequences.

"It's only a matter of time before Site B follows Nublar's example," Atlanta whispered to herself as she looked around the nursery.

On surface level, everything looked perfect just as InGen intended. But Atlanta was sure that this island had a hidden dark side, things going on behind the scenes that people that Wu and Ludlow wouldn't want the public to know about. Wasn't that the point of Site B? To hide the truth from the tourists and give them a happy lie that leaves out the stuff InGen would prefer to keep secret?

Not everything on Isla Sorna was as it seemed. And Atlanta was determined to find out what really happened on the 'factory floor.'

* * *

Derek snapped another picture of the Edmontosaurus. He then examined the photograph he had just taken, it was blurry. He sighed and said, ruefully, "I wish my photographer buddy was here. All my pictures suck."

Abby let out a light chuckle, which was drowned out by a sudden outburst from the lead Edmontosaurus. The dinosaur reared up on her back legs and trumpeted, noisily, shattering the peaceful calm that had settled over the land. Suddenly the entire herd began stampeding - right toward Abby and Derek!

"Move!" Derek screamed above the noise. He and Abby jumped into the jeep. Abby put pedal to the floor. The jeep sprang forward, right into the path of the herd. Derek closed his eyes and gripped his seat, expecting nothing but an instant death. Instead, their jeep cleared the path just in time as the herd raced past, trampling the ground where they had been only a second before.

Abby and Derek took a moment to catch their breath, watching the herd disappear over a rise. Then they shared a look.

"What was that?!" Derek demanded.

Abby shook her head, still breathing hard.

"They must have caught wind of something they didn't like."

"What?" Abby questioned.

"I don't know. A predator?" suggested Derek.

"There are no predators around here," Abby protested.

Derek put his head in his hands. "I thought we were dead!"

Derek was just happy to be alive, but Abby was puzzled. What could it have been that spooked the herd? Like she said, there were no carnivores in this part of the island - so what could it have been?

A worker came running up to them, his hair drenched in sweat. "Are you alright?!" he asked worriedly. Abby nodded, "Yes, just shaken up." The worker sighed in relief. "Good, well we better get out of here in case they get riled up again."

* * *

"Are you sure this is necessary, Mr. Ludlow?" Teddy asked as Ludlow's personal helicopter started to land.

"This is my company now," Ludlow insisted. "If I want to save it, sometimes taking action is needed. As much as I prefer my office, there are matters so important that they require my presence. I have to see this through myself. It's my duty to InGen and my uncle to attend to this business personally."

"Alright," Teddy nodded. "Should I let Ruso know that you're coming to inspect the Sorna facilities personally?"

"No," Ludlow decided. "If there is a spy, it would be important that my arrival be kept a secret. If this spy knew they could cover their tracks before I got there. We wouldn't want to lose any advantage we have."

"Of course," Teddy agreed. "I'll let Karen know that you might be kept busy until the emergency is dealt with."

"Hopefully this will be sorted out quickly," Ludlow said, more to himself than Teddy. He gripped the cane Lockwood had given him. There was a lot counting on Ludlow.

He got into the helicopter and it took off. It was time to pay a visit to Site B.

* * *

Dr. Gustavus glanced at his watch. It was getting late in the day. It was almost time for dinner. He contemplated just having dinner in his lab, but decided he'd like go have it at the cafeteria. He could use the company, and besides that, this was his opportunity to see the infamous Henry Wu. Maybe he could present some ideas to the young geneticist.

As he left his lab, he happened to glance down and notice some footprints in the soft earth. At first he thought they were just bird tracks, but as he looked closer, he realized what they actually were. _Troodon footprints,_ thought Gustavus, a chill of dread spreading down his body. But this was impossible! None of the Troodon had gotten out; if they had, he would have known about it. But here was the evidence. This was bad - very bad. Never mind going to dinner, Gustavus had a serious problem on his hands. He couldn't let the others know that he had bred Troodon here without consent. He had to cover this up before more people found out. But he couldn't do it alone; he needed help. But who could he turn to?

* * *

"That's it for today," Trey Roland heard one of the maintenance workers announce. "Let's pack up, head back to Burroughs, and call it a night."

The others were glad to be done with the repairs. This enclosure in particular made the maintenance crew feel uneasy.

"What's in there that scares them?" Trey asked another worker.

"They're tranquilized right now, but when they're awake you'll never see them coming…"

Trey waited for the worker to continue, but he said nothing more and helped the rest of the crew back up. Trey looked into the enclosure. Right now, he saw nothing. The inhabitants probably wouldn't recover from their dose in another few hours.

Trey decided he would ask Arnold about it later, but something about the worker's words frightened him. _You'll never see them coming…_

* * *

Howard King laid in bed, unable to sleep. His thoughts kept returning to the island, its inhabitants. It seemed that whenever he closed his eyes, there they were. Staring at him with those cold, reptilian eyes, posed to jump.

He shivered and pulled the covers closer around his trembling body. He turned over and looked at his wife. She was asleep. King smiled. If there was one thing he could be grateful for about his experience on the island, it was this: it may have saved his marriage. Before the incident, he had been considering divorcing Lydia. His almost dying on the island made them realize how much they cared about each other. King touched her softly on the cheek before closing his eyes. He began to drift off when the phone woke him. He sat up and grabbed it off the nightstand. "H… hello?" he said.

"Howard." It was Dodgson.

"Yes? What is it?" King asked.

"I need your help. Can you get down here?"

King swallowed. "What do you need help with?"

"Sorkin's here," Dodgson said. "She wants to help us."

"Sorkin?!" King repeated, louder than he intended. Lydia stirred, and King waited a few seconds for her to fall back to sleep. More quietly, he continued: "I thought she was dead."

"So did I. She's a tough woman to kill, I'll give her that."

"You trust her?" King asked.

Dodgson just laughed. "Trust? No. But she can help us. She has people who are just as anxious to take InGen down as I am."

King considered this for a moment. "Do I have to come right now?"

"It's important," Dodgson said.

King sighed heavily. "Alright. I'm coming."

* * *

It was night on Isla Sorna. Atlanta and Jess were fast asleep in one of the beds in a small hotel in Burroughs. Harding made sure that they were safely sleeping before getting some rest as well, taking a nap while sitting in a chair.

Suddenly there came a knock at the door. Harding quickly awoke and he rushed to answer it, he didn't want to disturb the girls.

It was Arnold. And Harding didn't like the look on the man's face.

"Ray, what's wrong?" Harding asked.

"My God," Arnold said, trying to control his breathing. "Gerry, we've found something. A dead Herrerasaurus. And inside it were eggshells."

"Eggshells?" Harding asked. He didn't like where this was going.

"I had a theory, but hoped I was wrong. I checked with Wu and… Gerry, there are Troodon on this island."

"No…" Harding said in horror. "That's not possible."

"I wish it wasn't so," Arnold agreed. "That's why I didn't come get you unless I was certain. But I can't deny the proof. Ruso and Atherton need you. Now."

"What about my daughters?" Harding asked.

"Trey will watch them," Arnold explained. "He's here with me too. Waiting outside."

Harding nodded. "Alright. Let's go see how bad this is."

They went outside. Trey was by the jeep, just like Arnold said. He looked tired, but he forced a smile. "Dr. Harding."

"Protect my daughters, Trey," Harding told him. "Don't let anything happen to them. Please."

"You can count on me," Trey promised. He then went into the hotel, while Harding and Arnold drove off into the night.

* * *

Jane Powers waited by the landing strip as Ludlow's helicopter landed. Once it did, her employer got out. He looked out of place on the tropical island.

"Ms. Powers," he greeted.

"Mr. Ludlow," Powers greeted back. "Your arrival is a surprise."

"That's the intention," Ludlow pointed out. "How's Harding?"

"Cooperative, though two of his daughters decided to tag along without our knowledge."

"As long as they aren't getting in the way, I don't care. This is a development facility, not a daycare."

"Atherton put them in the nursery, which kept them busy."

"Good. Then let's have a chat with Atherton and his staff, shall we?"

Powers nodded and helped him into the jeep. She then took him to their destination.

* * *

Arnold stopped the car, and he and Harding got out. Harding saw Atherton, Ruso, Wu, and a large man with a beard standing nearby. They made their way towards the group.

"You told him?" Atherton asked, gesturing to Harding. Atherton's face was etched with worry, which brought out his age even more.

"Yes," Arnold said, "he's been informed."

Ruso was pacing irritably, unable to calm herself down. "We never bred any Troodon," she said. "So how did they get here?"

"Maybe they migrated from the other island," Wu suggested.

"And how could they have done that, Henry?!" Ruso snapped. She went back to pacing. "This is a disaster. An absolute disaster."

"And Ludlow will be here any minute," the bearded man remarked.

Ruso stopped pacing to snap at him, "I know, Noah! You don't have to remind me every five seconds!"

"Ruso, everyone… stay calm," Atherton said, his voice calm. "We won't get anywhere by fighting. We have to work together."

"What should we do?" the bearded man asked.

"There's only one thing to do: we have to find them and eliminate them. The sooner the better, if what Dr. Wu told me about them is true," said Atherton determinedly.

"I hope he didn't leave out the part where they lay eggs in you while you're still alive," Harding said. A sickly silence fell over the group. Harding caught Noah staring at him, mouth open in shock. "They do that?" he asked.

Harding nodded. "Yes."

Noah swore into his beard.

"I still want to know how they got here," Ruso said. "We certainly didn't breed them."

"Well, someone did," Arnold said. "The question is, who?"

"It doesn't matter right now," Harding said. "What matters is we find them and kill them before someone gets hurt."

"You know just as well as I do that that will be very difficult," Arnold told him.

"Why?" Noah asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"They're the most intelligent and dangerous animals on the earth," Wu told him.

Noah scoffed. "They're just animals."

"Don't ever underestimate the abilities of an animal that God himself deemed was too dangerous to remain alive," Harding warned him.

"Without trackers, finding them will be like finding a needle in a haystack," Ruso said.

"Maybe not." Arnold scratched his chin. "We found a nest. The parents must visit it often."

"But you said all the eggs were hatched," Wu protested.

"Troodon live in colonies, right? You don't find just one nest on its own. You find several. If there's one nest, there's bound to be more."

"It's worth a try," Atherton shrugged.

"It's a start," Ruso agreed.

"I'll organize the hunt," Noah said. "Arnold, you're with me. What about you?" He looked at Wu.

Wu's eyes widened and he immediately shook his head, "No, no, I'll be much more useful here."

Noah rolled his eyes, annoyed at the geneticist's cowardice. "Then what about you?" he asked Harding.

Harding was about to refuse, but he wouldn't dare do such a thing with Wu right there. Swallowing his fear, he nodded. "Yeah, I'll go." Noah looked vaguely impressed.

"Take the best men you have," Atherton said. "And bring plenty of ammo and protection. Bring the big guns."

"We'll stay here and see if we can figure out where those things came from," said Ruso.

"Alright," Noah said. He nodded to Arnold and Harding. "Come on, let's go wake the boys."

* * *

Trey nervously paced around the hotel room. He was nervous, the memories of the hospital attack still fresh in his mind. He checked his holster, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. But it was impossible to forget that awful night two months ago, when many good people lost their lives.

"Who are you?" a voice asked.

Trey turned around. One of the girls was sitting up in bed and looking suspiciously at him.

"Uh, Trey Roland," Trey answered. "A maintenance worker. I'm a friend of your father."

"And where is he?"

"His expertise was needed," Trey explained. "I was trusted to watch you girls until he got back."

"And why do we need to be watched?" the girl wanted to know. "Why do you have a gun? Is there any danger?"

"Better safe than sorry," Trey told her. "Can't be too careful after what happened last time."

"Were you there?" the girl asked. It was obvious that she wouldn't be sleeping anytime soon.

"Yeah," Trey admitted. "Lost my best friends to raptors and nearly froze to death in a freezer. Then I was almost killed during the mainland attacks."

"I lost my mom during the Incident," the girl related. "Nearly lost my life during the aftermath trying to find out what really happened to her. I'm sorry about your friends."

"And I'm sorry about your mother," Trey said genuinely. "You're Atlanta, right? At least you got a new family out of the Incident. I don't know Dr. Harding well, but he's a good man."

"He is," Atlanta admitted. "A lot has changed for me in a few months. I miss my mom, but I'm happy that Gerry took me in. And I always wanted to have a sister. Now I have two. Sarah's great and though I haven't known Jess too long, I want to be close to her."

"I want to be close to you too," Jess admitted. She was still laying in bed, but was awake and listening.

"Were you awake the whole time?" Atlanta asked.

"Yep," Jess nodded. "What you said was sweet." She smiled. "But can't a girl get some sleep?"

Atlanta giggled and she laid back in bed. The girls were quiet and soon Trey thought they were asleep again. Trey smiled. He could see why Harding was so protective of them. Harding trusted Trey and he wasn't about to let him down. No matter what was out there.

* * *

Ludlow walked into the control room, with Jane Powers right on his heels. "Lori? What is going on here?" he asked.

Ruso sucked in a breath, and exchanged a glance with Atherton. "You see, sir…" she began, before trailing off. Ludlow stared at her, waiting for her to continue. Suddenly Atherton cut in.

"Some of our men found a Troodon nest," he explained.

Ludlow's face went blank as he tried to comprehend this new information. Behind him, Jane gasped. "A Troodon nest?" she repeated, incredulously.

Atherton nodded slowly. "We don't know how… we never bred any Troodon on this island…"

"The spy," Ludlow said, his voice barely audible.

Atherton blinked in surprise. "The spy? What spy?"

Before Ludlow could answer, Ruso cut in.

"We intercepted a coded link between an outside vendor, and someone on this island," she explained. "Someone has been leaking vital intel to someone on the outside." Atherton goggled at her in shock. "Why didn't you tell me this before?" he demanded. Ruso merely shrugged and said, "Ludlow asked me not to tell anyone until he got here."

"Now we have two huge problems on our hands," Wu said.

"We'll figure it out," Ruso said determinedly. "Both problems."

"Between the two, I'd say the Troodon issue is the more serious at the moment," Wu said.

"Lori," Ludlow said, drawing her attention. "Do you think someone, someone acting out of my jurisdiction, could have bred some Troodon?"

"I can't think of anyone who…" Ruso trailed off, her eyes narrowing. "Actually, there is one person…"

"Who?" Jane Powers shrilled.

"Gustavus."

Ludlow shook his head. "Gustavus would never-"

"He's flaunted the rules in the past," Ruso argued. "Acted beyond jurisdiction-"

"He's loyal," Ludlow insisted.

"Sir, if you knew him as I do, you'd know he shouldn't be trusted. I never felt comfortable with saying that before, but now I think we have a reason to question his integrity."

Ludlow folded his arms and lowered his voice. "Then you had better find some proof."

Ruso shared a glance with Wu. "Well, Dr. Wu? Don't you think you and I should pay old Gustavus a visit?"

Before Wu could answer, he heard his radio turn on. He quickly answered it.

"Yes, this is Wu," he said into it.

"Dr. Wu, we found somebody," an InGen security guard explained. "He was snooping around in the labs and the ID we found on him was fake."

Wu sighed. "I'll be there right away." He turned to the others. "This might be our spy. However, we shouldn't jump to any conclusions. I'll talk to him alone."

"If you insist, Dr. Wu," Ludlow told him. "I'll give you five minutes. Work quickly."

Wu nodded and went to the room where the intruder was being held. The intruder was a thin man dressed in a khaki shirt and shorts. Surprisingly, Wu recognized him.

"Richard Levine?"

"Indeed," the man nodded. "And you are Dr. Henry Wu."

"What are you doing here?"

"Two months ago I was approached by a man named Lewis Dodgson. He offered me a position with his company because of my expertise, but I turned him down. I don't approve of his law-breaking studies, especially the rabies vaccine test he conducted on farmers in Chile without their knowledge of consent. However, that conversation did lead me into a personal investigation of InGen and the rumors surrounding some incidents from June that were covered up. And I decided to sneak onto Isla Sorna to see their dinosaurs."

"So you're not working for anyone? You just wanted to see dinosaurs?"

"That's every paleontologist's dream, isn't it? I've spent my whole life studying bones, but that wasn't good enough. There's only so much that can be learned from fossils. I understand what I did was illegal, but I just had to see them."

"Well, you chose a bad time to come here," Wu admitted. "Ludlow's going to be pissed…"

Wu honestly had to admire Levine in a way, but right now he had bigger problems…

Wu took Levine back to the control room. Ludlow regarded them both, coolly. "So," he began, "you must be the spy-"

"It's not him, sir," Wu interrupted. "This is Dr. Richard Levine, a paleontologist. One of the best out there."

"Is that what he told you?" Ludlow asked.

"Excuse me," Jane interrupted, she suddenly appeared anxious. "I have to check on something."

She rushed out of the room. Wu watched her go, then turned to Ludlow in confusion. "What's with her?" he asked.

Ludlow shrugged. "I don't control everything my employees do, you know. Now, where were we…? Oh, yes, I believe you were just about to explain what you're doing on my island." He looked pointedly at Levine.

Levine proceeded to tell him what he had just told Wu. When he was done, Ludlow put his hands behind his back. "You seem an honest enough man, Dr. Levine. But tensions are a little high right now, and I can't risk letting you go. You'll be kept here until we can properly evaluate your story and determine whether or not you are who you say you are."

Wu expected Levine to protest, but the man merely shrugged. "Fine with me. I had no plans this weekend. Besides, I want to see more dinosaurs."

Ludlow pursed his lips. "Let's make something straight here," he began. "This is not a vacation. You aren't permitted to roam around the island like some tourist. You'll be kept in a secure room with a guard to watch over you 24/7."

Levine was indignant. "You can't keep me prisoner," he protested.

"I'm afraid we don't have much of a choice," Ludlow remarked ruefully. He nodded to a guard standing nearby. "Jim, would you accompany Dr. Levine to his room?"

The guard, Jim, began to move toward Levine. Levine backed away from him and said, "You know, that's really too bad, because I think I could be a great help to you."

"That's fine, thank you," Ludlow said.

"I'm sorry Dr. Levine," Wu told him. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

Jim grabbed Levine by the arm. Levine struggled only momentarily. The guard's strength was too great. As he began to lead him away, Levine called over his shoulder, "You shouldn't trust Gustavus."

Ludlow turned around, slowly, to face the scientist. "What?" The guard stopped pushing Levine for a moment. Levine straightened his glasses. He looked like a roughed-up schoolboy.

"I said, do not trust Gustavus. I know him; he's dangerous. And egotistical. Dangerous and egotistical; that's two traits you never want. I'd so far as to say he's almost as bad as Dodgson."

"No one's as bad as Dodgson," Ludlow said dismissively.

"Still, if you know what's good for you you'll get rid of him."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Levine, but you're in no position to be making accusations about anyone's integrity." He nodded to Jim, signaling for him to take Levine away.

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Levine called over his shoulder.

There was a momentary quiet. Ludlow nodded to Wu and Ruso. "If you're going to go talk to Gustavus, now is the time."

"Right," Ruso said. She walked past Wu. After a moment Wu followed her. As they walked down the hall, Wu said, "You know, I think it wouldn't hurt to come prepared. You know, in case Gustavus really is the scoundrel everyone thinks he is."

Ruso stopped, and partially lifted up her shirt, revealing a holstered gun. Wu goggled. "You just carry one of those around all the time?" he said.

Ruso smirked, "You never know what might happen." She lowered her shirt and the two of them continued on.

* * *

Abby decided that something had to be done about Gustavus. Even if Ludlow intended to keep him around no matter how much trouble he caused, Abby knew that he couldn't be trusted. His behavior had been more secretive lately and Abby thought he was trying to hide something. Who knows what he could be working on in that private bunker of his?

She didn't tell Derek because she knew he would try to stop her and if there was any danger she didn't want to put him at risk as well. Anyway, at this hour Gustavus must be asleep, so Abby could investigate his bunker without worry.

As Abby picked the lock to his lab, she noticed bird-like tracks in the soft earth. Abby didn't recognize them, but this was a tropical island with many species of bird. So the tracks probably belonged to a species that lived on this side of the island.

The door opened and Abby slipped through. It was dark inside the lab and Abby's fingers searched for a light switch. She thought she heard noises in the darkness. She found the switch and the room became flooded with light.

Revealing the cages that filled the room. But most shocking of all were the creatures inside the cages.

_Dinosaurs,_ Abby realized. She didn't recognize the species, but they certainly weren't on InGen's list. _They must be genetically altered,_ Abby figured. Gustavus was making hybrids.

And these conditions couldn't be humane. These creatures were kept in small cages and probably weren't fed enough either. This is what Gustavus was doing in private? Abby covered her mouth in horror.

The door closed behind her. Abby turned around and saw a furious Gustavus holding a shotgun, the barrel aimed at her heart.

* * *

Derrick was awakened by a loud bang coming from outside his room, followed by angry voices.

Groggily, he rose from bed and stumbled to the door. He opened it and looked out. Two men stood in the hallway; a guard, and a young man dressed in a safari outfit. But wait… could that be…

"Are you Richard Levine?" Derrick asked. The young man stopped arguing with the guard for a moment, and turned to look at Derrick. "Why, yes, I am," he said, smiling cheerfully.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hoyle," the guard said to Derrick. "Sorry for waking you."

"No problem," Derrick waved him off. "Dr. Levine, I know all about your work and-"

"Excuse us, Mr. Hoyle," the guard said, "but we must go. Have a good night." He gripped Levine's arm.

"What's the rush?" Levine said, shaking him off. "There's always time to talk to a fellow scientist." Derrick found it odd that Levine would be here, and he said as much. Levine shrugged and said, "Well, I guess I wasn't exactly invited to come here, but when I heard reports that InGen was cloning dinosaurs out here, I had to look into it myself."

"You see where that got you," the guard said. "Nothing good ever comes from snooping around."

"Come on, can you really blame me? I mean, how could anyone throw aside the opportunity to see real live dinosaurs?"

"That's enough," the guard said, "we're leaving. Have a good night, Mr. Hoyle." He squeezed Levine's arm and dragged him along. As they passed Hoyle, Levine called back, "Hopefully we can talk again soon, Mr. Hoyle. I'll be in one of these rooms, and I'll have a lot of time on my hands."

* * *

Gustavus put a finger to his lips. "Shhh. Don't excite them." He was obviously talking about the Troodon.

Abby's heart was pounding in her chest, she wanted to cry. The look in Gustavus' eyes, it was the look of a killer. Abby suspected at any moment he would shoot.

"Please…" she begged, her breath quickening.

Gustavus gestured. "The closet. Behind you."

Abby turned slowly to look at the closet.

"Get inside," Gustavus told her.

Abby raised her arms and began to turn.

"Slow," Gustavus warned.

Holding back tears, Abby began to walk toward the closet. Very slowly, she reached out and turned the knob. She opened the door and went inside, carefully closing it behind her. She heard it lock. Then she heard what sounded like Gustavus walking around. Then a door opening, then closing. And then silence, except for the rattling in the cages.

Abby began to sob uncontrollably. She covered her mouth in a desperate attempt to remain quiet.

Nevertheless, racking sobs exploded out of her. She lowered herself to the floor, and felt something squishy. She stood up, repulsed. It was then that she finally noticed it: the rank, disgusting smell like rotting meat. What was it? She couldn't see. But there was something dead in here.

* * *

Gustavus saw headlights and realized that a jeep was heading toward him. It stopped and somebody got out.

"Dr. Gustavus, I'm here to help," the person told him.

"I doubt that," Gustavus responded, gripping his shotgun. "What do you really want?"

"Does the name Laura Sorkin ring any bells?"

"Yeah," Gustavus nodded. "But she died on Nublar."

"That's what InGen thinks," the person explained. "Ruso and Wu are coming to investigate your bunker. They know about your Troodon. You won't be able to talk your way out of this."

Gustavus swore. "Then why the hell are you here?"

"I'm allied with Sorkin and her allies," the person answered. "We know the value of your work. Something InGen wouldn't realize. They would shut you down. The people I work for are coming to Site B. And you can come with us. It's either that or face jail time when your activities here are exposed."

Gustavus thought this over. He didn't really have a choice. "Where will you take me?"

"Somewhere safe. Decide quickly, because we don't have much time."

Gustavus nodded. "Give me a few minutes." He needed to gather up his research and release his specimens. He didn't trust this person, but preserving his work was his top priority. It was too important to be disposed of by InGen.

* * *

The jeep raced through the jungle, bouncing over potholes and the like. Harding gripped his seat anxiously; his heart was beating at a rate of a million miles an hour, and his breathing was shallow. Noah looked over at him from the driver's seat, and said "Don't worry, man. You're in good hands. I won't let anything happen to you, or any of these boys."

Somehow, Harding didn't feel reassured.

Behind Harding, Arnold said "This is the spot; this is where we found the nest."

Noah slowed the jeep to a stop, and everyone clambered out. Harding looked around him at the impenetrable darkness, and felt all his courage leave him. Being in the jungle again was like the equivalent of being strapped to an electric chair. You know your time has come and death might be lurking around every corner…

Someone gripped his shoulder and he yelped. But it was just Arnold. The man handed him a gun. Harding accepted it with a quiet thanks.

"Lead the way, Arnold," Noah said, scanning the perimeter.

Arnold took the lead and led the hunting party into the unforgiving dark jungle.

* * *

Meanwhile in Burroughs, a worker decided to go outside for a smoke. He stood outside of a convenience store as he lit his cigarette. There was some artificial light being produced from nearby buildings, but it was mostly dark outside. It wasn't silent though, since many of Sorna's animals were active this time at night.

The worker looked up at the night sky, admiring the stars and the moon. He felt more relaxed than he had for a while now, since for the past few weeks he had worked by InGen to exhaustion. Still, it paid well so he wasn't complaining.

Then he heard a new animal sounding. Something was… clicking. The worker put out his cigarette and looked into the darkness, trying to see what was out there. He figured that it had to be a type of nocturnal mammal or something.

Glowing eyes stared back at him. They were eerie and the worker was unsettled by them. He suddenly felt unsafe and desired to go back indoors. But the eyes were getting closer, the lurking creatures approaching him.

The man started running, but he was pursued. The creatures knocked him into the ground and the man experienced pain as something dug into his flesh. The man started to scream.

The Troodon of Site B had their first taste of human flesh that morning hour.

* * *

Ruso drove confidently, hunched over the steering wheel, her eyes fixed on the road ahead. _She looks like a woman on a mission,_ Wu thought.

Ruso had suspected that Gustavus was up to no good for a while now, but since Ludlow favored him so, she hadn't voiced her concerns. Now, though, she feared she would regret waiting so long.

Gustavus' lab appeared in the headlights, and for a single second Wu thought he could see a dark shape slip by. He sat forward. "Did you see that?" Ruso nodded in agreement. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Ruso said. She stopped the jeep and the two of them sat there for a moment, weighing their options. Then Wu sighed. "Well, might as well get this over with." He opened the door and stepped out into the night. Ruso quickly followed. She pulled her gun and led the way toward the lab.

She opened the door and the two of them crept in. Wu stopped short. The room was full of cages. Stacks of them. Metal cages, barely large enough to house a dog. What was he keeping in here?!

"Hello?" Ruso called. "Dr. Gustavus?"

"Help!" someone cried. It sounded like a woman.

"Where are you?" Ruso asked.

"The closet!" the woman sobbed.

Wu spotted the closest against the far wall. He ran towards it and unlocked it. Abby tumbled out, into his arms. She was hysterical.

"What happened?" Wu asked.

"Gustavus," Abby sobbed. "He locked me in there."

Ruso looked more closely into the closet. Then she swore. "Henry, look."

Wu looked inside the closet. There was a body. It seemed to be fresh. Like the person had died just recently.

"Did Gustavus do that?" Wu asked.

Ruso' face was caked with worry. "Abby," she said, turning to the young woman, who was beginning to calm down. "Where is Gustavus?"

Before Abby could answer, a loud voice boomed across the room.

"Are you looking for me?"

Everyone turned to see Gustavus. The scientist had a shotgun in his hands.

"What are you doing?" Wu demanded.

Gustavus smiled a fiendish smile. "Wiping the slate clean," he said. "You see, I knew it was just a matter of time before someone found my experiments."

"What experiments?" Ruso demanded. "What have you been doing?"

Wu sucked in a breath. "Did you breed Troodon?"

"Guilty as charged," Gustavus said.

"Are you out of your mind?! Do you have any idea what those things can do?"

"Of course I do. I'm no fool. But you see, there's a market for certain… hyper intelligent animals. Very profitable business. The military has shown tremendous interest in the idea of weaponized dinosaurs."

Wu could hardly believe what he was hearing. "You intend to sell Troodon to the military?"

"I did," Gustavus said. "That is, until you came along."

"So what will you do now, Gustavus?" Ruso inquired, her voice brittle. "Will you gun down three defenseless people? You shouldn't have any problem with it, seeing as you killed that man in the closet."

Gustavus' face contorted with anger, and something like regret. "Willy got too nosy for his own good," he said. "I wanted to talk, work something out, but he wouldn't listen. He attacked me, and the gun went off and the next thing I knew, he was dead. So I hid the body until I could think of something to do."

"You're a psychopath," Ruso said bluntly.

"I don't want to kill you, really I don't. If you just let me go, I won't hurt you," Gustavus reasoned, he was almost begging. "It doesn't feel good - living with the knowledge that you killed someone."

In some twisted way, Wu found himself sympathizing with Gustavus' plight. He knew all too well the guilt of living with that knowledge…

"You know we can't let you do that, Gustavus," Ruso said. "You've engaged in criminal activities, and for the sake of the world you must be stopped."

"Gustavus," came a new voice. A man walked into view from behind Gustavus. He was strong and muscular, and wore a gun on his hip. The stranger considered Wu, Ruso and Abby, and then turned back to Gustavus. "What's the deal, Gustavus? Had a change of heart? You know we can't let them go. Do the right thing and kill them."

"No!" Abby shrieked.

Ruso could see the conflict on Gustavus' face. A war was going on inside of him between his morality and what made the most sense from a business standpoint.

"Gustavus," she said. "You're not a bad man. A foolish, dangerous man, but not bad. Don't do this."

The stranger scowled at her. "Gustavus! Do it!" he said.

"No," Gustavus said, and dropped the shotgun.

The stranger winced. "That was the wrong choice." Quick as a whip, he yanked out his pistol and shot Gustavus in the side. Before Gustavus could even hit the ground, the man turned his gun on Wu, Ruso and Abby.

"It's nothing personal," he assured.

Wu recognized the man. He was a scientist. Artie Bridges. Back on Nublar he had been friends with Laura Sorkin and became the head of the radio station after some incidents where he hacked into the system and played some choice cuts from his collection of music. He hadn't been present for the Incident because he had taken the boat with some of the staff.

"If it's not personal, then why are you doing this Artie?" Wu asked.

"The same reason Sorkin did," Artie answered. "To take you and InGen down. What you've been doing here won't be allowed to continue. It's time to finish what she started."

"Sorkin is dead," Wu told Artie. "And you're going to get yourself killed as well if you continue down this path."

Artie laughed. "That's what you want to think, isn't it? You definitely tried killing Sorkin, but it wasn't good enough. She's alive, Wu."

"You're lying," Wu insisted. "We have no reason to believe you. This is obviously insane."

"It doesn't matter anyway," Artie told them. "You won't be around to-"

There was a loud shriek and Artie turned around to see a dinosaur in the bunker's doorway. It was a Velociraptor, but it didn't look like the raptors Wu knew.

The raptor was male. He was a grayish blue color with light blue horizontal striping from the start of the neck to the end of the tail. His eyes were red and small with a blue ring around the socket. He also possessed quills on the top of his head. The skulls was longer and there was a red crest located on the nasal bone of the skull, a trait which was absent in the variant that Wu had bred.

This was a new type of Velociraptor that Wu hadn't created. It must have been Gustavus' doing. Who knows what else he did here. But Wu did know one thing. They were in serious trouble.

Artie fired on the animal several times. The bullets pierced his flesh, causing him to shriek in pain and fury, he took several steps back and crouched defensively.

Ruso drew her gun and aimed it at Artie. "Artie, I have a gun pointed at your head. Give your weapon to Wu. Then we're all going to get out of here."

"I'll never go with you," said Artie.

"Then stay here if you want and play with the raptor." Ruso nodded to Wu, who walked forward and grabbed Artie's gun from him.

The raptor snarled once, then dashed off somewhere.

"Now, Artie, I want you to pick Gustavus up," Ruso said.

"Is he alive?" Artie asked.

Wu could see Gustavus' chest rising and falling. "Yes," he said. "He must have knocked himself out when he hit the ground."

"Good," Artie said, he sounded genuinely relieved. "Sorkin would've had my head if she knew I killed him."

"Then why'd you shoot him in the first place?" Ruso asked.

"It guess I got swept up in the moment," Artie said.

The snarl of the Velociraptor echoed through the lab. "We're getting out of here," Wu said. "Abby, grab Gustavus' shotgun."

Abby grabbed the weapon. Then she and the others began to walk back to the entrance. Ruso kept her gun trained on Artie at all times, and Artie carried Gustavus' unconscious frame.

"You must see now how twisted InGen really is," Artie said.

"Stop talking Artie, you're giving me a headache," Ruso told him.

Slowly, they made their way outside and piled into the jeep. "Keep an eye on our friend," Ruso instructed Wu. Wu nodded, and took a seat next to Artie. They put Gustavus in the back.

"One false move and you're dead," Wu warned him seriously.

Artie smirked. "Really, Henry? You don't have it in you."

"I killed Sorkin, didn't I?"

"You didn't kill her. She's still alive."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

Ruso started the jeep. The headlights flashed on, illuminating the crouched form of the Velociraptor. The dinosaur snarled and leaped at their jeep, landing heavily on the hood. He screeched, and Abby screamed in terror.

* * *

Trey was starting to doze off when he was suddenly awakened by a horrible scream coming from outside. He got up with a start and he saw that the scream had awakened the girls as well.

"What the hell was that?" Jess asked, eyes widened.

"Stay here," Trey told them. He wished he could have offered them more comforting words, but those were all that he could think of in the heat of the moment. He rushed out of the room and out of the building as quickly as he could.

The streets were empty, but in the limited light he could make out blood stains on the ground where a man had been forced down and dragged off. In the distance, he could make out faint clicks and hisses.

_Oh no,_ he realized. It wasn't safe here anymore. Other men were coming out of buildings, having heard the scream as well.

"What happened?" one of them asked.

"There was an attack," Trey explained. "Wake everybody up and get as many firearms as possible. Flares too. Use your radios to get in touch with the rest of the island. Tell them that a man was killed by a Troodon. And turn on as many lights as you can."

The other workers were confused, but they didn't argue. While they did as they were told, Trey went back to check on the girls. He made sure to turn on the room's lights. They asked him what was going on, but he didn't need to answer. They already knew.

"It's the Troodon," Jess realized. Atlanta whimpered a little, remembering when she had been bitten by one.

"Unfortunately," Trey said honestly. "But don't worry. We have power this time, so the light should keep them away."

Neither girl looked convinced, but Trey did his best to reassure their safety. Just in case, he checked his gun and tried to call Harding on the radio. Unfortunately, he got no answer.

* * *

Arnold led the procession of guns-for-hire through the jungle thicket. They kept their wits about them, constantly turning their heads to take in as much of the dark jungle as possible. If anything jumped out at them, the chances of someone seeing it were high.

After a few minutes, Arnold detected the stagnant odor of rotting meat, and brought the procession to a halt with a raised arm. He turned to the right, and continued walking. The smell was even more powerful now.

"This is it," he said. "This is the place. Now, everyone remember. We are in dino-territory now. And they aren't going to be happy to see us."

The men and women nodded.

"Gerry?" Arnold said. Harding looked at him. The veterinarian looked pale.

"Are there any tips you have for us?" he said.

Harding swallowed. "Uh, y-yeah." He cleared his throat, and continued in a more steady tone. "Watch for any unusual lights in the trees. Troodon have really big, really bright eyes, almost like headlights. You see those, you shoot." He paused, then continued: "As long as we're in the light, we should be fine. So keep your flares and flashlights on hand."

The group muttered an affirmation, and then Noah began to divide them into teams. He put Harding and Arnold together in one team. Noah took command of the other team. There were about twenty hunters in all; ten in each team.

"We'll fan out," Noah said. "Go about fifty feet then make a sweep of the area. Then we'll meet back up. Kill any dinosaurs you lay eyes on." The hunters grunted an affirmation. Noah cocked his shotgun, and said "Have a good hunt, boys." Then the two teams separated. Harding followed Arnold and the rest of his team into the jungle, keeping his eyes and ears out for anything.

The men crept slowly through the jungle. They never heard nor saw the Velociraptor that sped past them in the darkness. These new raptors were not given enough food by Gustavus and were malnourished. Now that they had been released by their creator, it was time to make up for those months that had been practically starving.

Noah's team found themselves in a mass of tall grass. One of the hunters heard a branch crack and turned. A Velociraptor pounced the man.

Soon the pack began ambushing the men left to right.

Guns were fired wildly. Some of the hunters tried to fire directly at the Velociraptors, but the animals were too fast to put a bead on.

Crunching, snarling, and growling sounds added to the sporadic gunfire and dying screams. More hunters were pounced and dragged to their deaths by these new Velociraptors.

"Fall back!" Noah ordered. They weren't prepared for raptors. He sprinted through the jungle as his men died around him. He ran for a long and climbed inside as a Velociraptor jumped onto it. The raptor tried to dig her way to him and Noah screamed.

Noah drew his sidearm and fired right at the animal's face. It snarled and drew back, blood oozing from its eye. It rubbed the wound with its forearm before retreating.

Noah took a minute to catch his breath. _I almost died!_ he thought. Just then, another scream pierced the night. _My boys!_ Noah thought as he climbed out of the log and looked around. No raptors were in sight. But that was the thing - just because he couldn't see them didn't mean they weren't there. There could be dozens all hiding in the bushes just out of view…

Suddenly, there was a shift in the battle. He no longer heard the dying screams of his men; instead, he heard deafening gunfire and the shrieks of dying raptors. Limping heavily, Noah hobbled toward the sound. He stumbled over something. He looked down. It was Mitch. He was dead. Noah closed his eyes, distraught. When he opened them again, Arnold was standing in front of him.

"I said, are you alright?" Arnold said. Noah realized this wasn't his first time asking. He quickly nodded. "Yes, yes… what about them?" He gestured to the bodies littered across the forest floor. Every one bloodied. Every one dead.

"Jeff, Chris and Millie are the only ones who survived," Arnold reported. "And Chris is badly wounded."

Noah couldn't believe his ears. Six of his men were dead. To be fair, the number was lower than he had initially thought. But nevertheless… six good men and women, dead in one night. And it happened so fast. Guilt and sorrow gripped Noah, and he swayed. Luckily Arnold caught him before he could fall.

"You're hurt," Arnold said, pointing down. Noah looked down, and noticed that his calf was bleeding. "We'll get you patched up," Arnold assured him. "But first we have to get out of here. We can't take on the raptors."

"Then let's go," Noah said.

"Harding!" Arnold called. "Can you lead the way?"

"I'll try," Harding replied. The group followed Harding through the jungle.

They managed to get back to their jeeps without incident. As Harding slipped into the driver's seat, he pulled out his radio.

"Trey, this is Harding. How are my daughters?"

After a moment of silence, Trey answered. "They're safe, but there was an attack. A worker was dragged off by Troodon. There's been no sign of them since then."

"We got ambushed by raptors out here," Harding explained. "Some new variant that I've never seen before. We took casualties and we have wounded that we're taking back to the facilities."

"Oh my God," Trey swore over the radio.

"Don't let Atlanta or Jess know about the raptors," Harding ordered. "They must already be scared enough. I'll go to them as soon as possible. Just sit tight."

Harding put away the radio and focused on driving. "Ludlow is going to be pissed," Arnold commented. Though that was going to be the least of their problems.

* * *

**This iteration features one of the first ideas for this story... the origin of the Velociraptor variant that we see in Jurassic Park III. One of my biggest problems with that movie is the continuity. The island and several species of dinosaur look radically different than they did in previous films with no explanation. I do actually like the look, behavior, and intelligence of the JP3 raptors, but it does bug me that no answer was given for where they came from. So in An Act of God I decided to reveal that the JP3 variant were created and genetically modified in secret.**

**You might remember Richard Levine from the end of The Chaos Continues, this is a follow up of that where he investigates InGen and sneaks onto Sorna which he did do in the second novel. Richard Levine is actually one of my favorite novel characters and is someone that I often toy around with in different Jurassic Park roleplays, fan fics, and ideas.**

**Also, the image of Atlanta feeding baby Hypsilophodon with a puppet was actually inspired by a piece of concept art for a cancelled Jurassic Park animated series from the 90s.**

**And if you want to keep track of the body count in this installment, so far it's eight. There's the worker that the Troodon killed, the man Gustavus shot, and the six raptor casualties.**

**I'll have the third iteration out as soon as possible, but as always I encourage reviews.**


	3. Third Iteration

**Sorry that it's been a while since I last updated, but I do intend to still publish everything that had been already been written for this installment of the series started by "The Isla Nublar Incident." And there's a chance that I might finish it without my co-writer, depending on reader reaction.**

* * *

**Third Iteration**

"_Details emerge more clearly as the fractal curve is redrawn."_

-IAN MALCOLM

"Was that my dad?" Jess asked when Trey put the radio away.

"Yeah," Trey answered. "He promised that he's coming here as soon as he can. He's safe."

"Was he hunting the Troodon?" Atlanta asked.

Trey nodded, being careful not to say too much. He didn't want to scare or worry them.

"This won't be like last time, right?" Jess asked. "What happened in the hospital, I mean."

"Of course not," Trey promised. "We know what we're up against and we're prepared. This is nothing like last time."

Trey wished he believed that he was telling them, but for now he could only pretend to be convinced for their sake. Hopefully, they would be able to survive the night without incident. But while lights would keep the Troodon away, the same could not be said about the raptors. Maybe they would stay far away from Burroughs. But if they didn't, Trey was still willing to defend these girls to his last breath.

* * *

Ruso slammed on the gas. The jeep bucked forward, but the raptor hung on. The raptor slammed one of his feet down on the windshield. It shattered into a million pieces. The hungry carnivore then reached inside, and bit Ruso on the arm. The woman struggled and screamed but she was no match for the predator. Reacting on instinct, Wu aimed his gun at the raptor's head and fired six times in quick succession. Four of the bullets hit their target. The raptor recoiled, and collapsed onto the hood. He didn't move.

"Are you alright?" Wu asked Ruso. The woman was clutched forward in pain, clutching her blooded arm. "Lori?"

"She's bleeding," Abby reported, her voice somewhat muffled.

"I can see that," Wu replied. He got out of the jeep and moved around to the front. He opened Ruso's door and peered inside. "Lori, let me see your arm," he said.

Ruso extended her arm to him, allowing him to examine it. He peeled away the sleeve, revealing the ragged, torn flesh. "She needs medical help," Wu said. "Come on, Lori. You come out, and Abby will drive."

"Okay," Ruso said through gritted teeth.

But as Wu helped her out of the car, he heard a dull thump. Abby pitched forward in her seat, blood oozing from her head. Artie stood beside her. He had knocked Abby out and taken her gun, which he now pointed directly at Wu.

"Put your weapon down and move aside," he ordered.

Wu did as instructed. What else could he have done?

"I won't waste bullets on you," Artie told them as he got into the driver's seat. "I'll just let the raptors finish you off."

He pushed Abby out of the jeep. She landed on the ground with a dull thump. Then Artie backed the jeep up and drove off into the night. Wu cursed at him.

"Come on Lori," he said. "We're going back inside. Can you walk on your own?"

Ruso growled. "It's my arm that's hurt, not my legs, you moron." Her scathing remarks comforted Wu somewhat.

"I'll help Abby," he said. He walked over to the unconscious woman. She was smaller than him, so he didn't have much trouble picking her up. He took a moment to examine the injury on her head, and he saw it wasn't too bad. Then he and Ruso walked back to Gustavus' lab.

Wu heard a shriek in the dark jungle. It was answered by several more calls. Wu realized that it was the other raptors. They had to move quickly.

Outside the lab there were two more jeeps, the one Gustavus had driven and the one Artie had driven. However, neither had the eyes in the ignition and Wu didn't know how to hot wire a vehicle. In any case, they didn't have time. The raptor sounds were getting closer.

Wu opened the door to the bunker and they walked in. Glancing back, Wu saw a creature come out of the jungle. It was another raptor, this one female. Unlike the male, this raptor was a beige color and had yellow eyes. The crest was less pronounced and not red, unlike the male. The raptor hissed and charged. But before she could reach them Wu and Ruso slammed the door in the dinosaur's face, locking it. The animal threw itself into the barrier, but it would not budge. The raptor hissed in frustration, but the humans were safe.

"Do you have a radio?" Wu asked Ruso. She shook her head.

"I left it in the jeep. You?"

"It's with Artie as well," Wu sighed.

They searched the bunker for a radio, but they found nothing. They were cut off from the rest of the island.

"They'll send a search party eventually," Wu said optimistically. "The bunker's location isn't secret. We just have to hold out for a while."

Ruso nodded in agreement. Wu then remembered her arm and he did his best to treat her with the supplies available. He also bandaged Abby's head. She was still unconscious. He could only do so much at the moment, but it was better than nothing.

"Are you alright?" Ruso asked him. "It looks like there's something on your mind."

"There's a lot on my mind," Wu answered.

"Well, duh. But if there's something troubling you especially, you can tell me."

"It's just Sorkin," Wu admitted. "Artie said she was alive and I don't know if I believe him or not. Or if I want to believe him. I've been feeling guilty about pushing her into the Tylosaurus tank on Nublar. I thought I had gotten her killed. But if I didn't kill her and she really is still alive, how much will that come back to haunt me? How many could get hurt or killed because I didn't stop her when I should?"

"Don't blame yourself," Ruso told him. "Artie was probably just trying to mess with you. He'll be dealt with and we can put this behind us."

"But I don't think we can," Wu argued. "There are Troodon and raptors out there, running free. I know from experience how destructive those creatures are. There will be consequences to Gustavus' experiments. I'm worried that the worst is yet to come."

"Don't be a defeatist," Ruso insisted. "We should just get some rest. It might be a long night. And whatever happens, it's on Gustavus and not us. Ludlow is the one who wanted to keep him around, remember? These are Gustavus' creations, not ours."

Wu nodded. There were some emergency blankets among the bunker's supplies. Wu draped one over Abby and gave another to Ruso. He hoped that they would be okay waiting here, but he couldn't help but worry what was happening elsewhere on the island…

* * *

Noah was in the medical bay. The pharmacist, Norman Caldwell, was treating his injuries. Noah still couldn't come to grips with the lives he had lost. Some of those people he'd known for years. And now they were dead. How was he supposed to cope with that? Worse, Noah blamed himself for their deaths. He should have listened to Harding. They weren't prepared in the least. Noah closed his eyes, fighting back tears. There would be time to mourn later; now, he had to concentrate on getting this island back to normal.

Arnold walked into the room, and nodded a greeting. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Not well," Noah replied honestly.

Arnold smiled sympathetically. "How are they?" he gestured to the other beds, which were occupied by Chris, Millie, and Sanders. All three were unconscious.

"Okay, I think," Noah said. "Chris is the worst. He may not make it through the night. Doc called in another doc from the mainland to come help out."

"Listen Noah, we have a situation," Arnold told him.

Noah groaned inwardly. "What now?"

"Wu and Ruso still haven't returned from checking on Gustavus," Arnold said.

"So, maybe they're a little late. Give them some time."

Arnold frowned. "Just in case, I'm going to go check on them. You stay here."

"Stay here?' Noah said. "Are you kidding me?"

"You need rest," Arnold protested, but Noah was already climbing out of bed. "I'm fine," he said. "Just a little wobbly is all."

"I highly recommend that you stay in bed, Mr. Frazier," said Caldwell.

"Look at me, I'm fine. It's them you have to worry about," Noah said, pointing to Chris and the others.

"If you insist," Arnold said with a sigh.

* * *

Harding returned to Burroughs, driving as fast as he could. All the light in the village were turned on and workers were outdoors, wielding guns, flashlights, and flares. Harding ignored the commotion, however, and he parked the jeep. He leaped out as soon as it had come to a stop and he ran for the hotel. Soon he burst into his room, where Trey nervously waited with two awake and very anxious girls.

Atlanta and Jess immediately leaped out of bed and embraced Harding in a tight hug. Harding returned the hug, smiling brightly upon being reunited with his daughters. He nodded at Trey. "Thank you."

"No problem, Dr. Harding," Trey told him.

"What's going on out there?" Atlanta asked. "Were you really searching the jungle for those… things that attacked us on Nublar?"

Harding sighed. "Yes, unfortunately. However, we think there are less this time and we know exactly what we're dealing with. The Troodon will be dealt with very soon, I promise."

"Good," Atlanta and Jess agreed. They both hated Troodon.

"You two need to get some sleep," Harding told them. "It's been a long night for all of us. I promise that I'm not going anywhere. I'll probably have to arrange you girls transport back to San Diego after the night's over, for your safety."

Atlanta and Jess whined, but they understood. Nobody had expected there to be illegally bred Troodon on this island. And the farther away from as possible, the happier Atlanta and Jess would be. It was for the best.

The girls got into bed. "A wise choice, sending them back," Trey whispered to Harding.

"Yeah, this is more than any of us bargained for," Harding added. "I have a bad feeling about all of this. Like it's only going to get worse."

First Troodon. Then Velociraptors. What's next?

* * *

Levine looked out his window at all the commotion going on outside. People were running around with guns and flashlights; almost like a search party. But what, thought Levine, are they searching for?

He hated being locked up in here. It was an atrocious waste of time. When was that fool Ludlow going to let him out of here?

Examining the window more closely, he realized that it could be easily opened. He simply switched the locks and opened the window. He smiled. Casting a glance over his shoulder, to ensure that the guard hadn't magically appeared in the room, he then opened it all of the way and climbed out. He wanted to know what was going on, and no one was going to stop him from finding out.

* * *

Arnold and Noah drove down the dark jungle road, alongside the various temporary enclosures. Suddenly, something caught Arnold's eye and he hit the brakes.

"What is it?" Noah asked him.

"Nothing good," Arnold answered, leaping out of the jeep and running over to the nearby fence. The maintenance gate was hanging open. Using his flashlight, Arnold found the gate's bolts scattered across the ground. "Somebody tampered with this enclosure."

"Do you know what was in it?"

Arnold searched the fence for a number. He found a sign and his eyes widened in recognition. "Oh shit… do you see any signs that whatever was in the enclosure got out?"

Noah looked around. "Uh yeah. Looks like something large entered the jungle." He then stepped in something and looked down. "And I, uh, found this."

Arnold ran over. Their flashlights revealed a large three-toed track imprinted on the ground. Fearfully, Arnold looked into the foliage to make sure nothing was there. "We're not safe out here."

Suddenly, they heard a loud roar echo through the darkness. Noah realized what they were dealing with. "The Demon…"

The two men quickly got into their jeep. Arnold pulled out his radio and screamed into it. "Ludlow! Somebody sabotaged at least one of the enclosures. The Demons are out!"

Ludlow swore loudly. "Don't stay out there, it's too dangerous!"

"What about Wu?"

"He's capable and can take care of himself. I don't want to risk any more lives searching for him in the darkness. We already have Troodon and raptors. Now Demons. Do you have any idea who freed them?"

"No idea, but they have to be professionals. Alright, we're heading back."

As they drove back to the facilities, another loud roar could be heard.

* * *

Levine made his way down the road, keeping an eye on his surroundings. A minute ago, there had been lots of people on this road, but now there was no-one. It was odd.

Then Levine heard a sound. At first he thought it was just the wind whistling through the trees; but when he listened more closely, the sound was too deliberate to be wind. Then what could it be?

Levine stopped. He knew what the sound was. It was breathing. And it was coming from the forest to his right.

Maybe he should have stayed in his room.

Suddenly, the forest erupted in frightening animal roars. Levine glimpsed a large animal charging him. He turned and fled, feeling the adrenaline surge of pure panic. It happened extremely quickly. He felt a heavy weight suddenly knock him down, forcing him to his knees and in that moment Levine thought he was going to die. The animal tore the backpack, but the shape of it confused Levine's attacker. When he got up and started running again, the creature didn't chase him.

Levine knew that he had to put as much distance between him and his attacker as he could. But more importantly, he needed to warn the others in the area. This animal had come out of nowhere and they didn't know that a large predator was so close to the worker village. If anyone else was attacked, Levine doubted they would be as lucky as he was.

* * *

Back in the control room Ludlow was pacing nervously. This was a disaster. Already at least half a dozen workers were dead, and more were injured. Ludlow had a feeling he couldn't just brush this under the rug like he had last time. It occurred to him that this might be the final straw. InGen could very well be a lost cause. In some bizarre way, the thought comforted Ludlow. These last several months have been a nightmare for him. If InGen really was doomed, at least he could look forward to a good night's sleep again - granted, he might be behind bars, but compared to the stress he'd endured these last few months, jail didn't seem all that bad.

"Sir?" Atherton reported. "There haven't been any attacks for almost fifteen minutes."

Ludlow nodded, and he couldn't help but feel optimistic about their situation. Maybe it was finally over.

Then the phone rang, Atherton picked it up. "Hello? Yes, Lloyd? What's that?" His brow creased. "Is he alright? Well, that's a relief. Yes, take him to the doctor. Yes. Alright. Goodbye." He put the phone down and turned to Ludlow. "Apparently Dr. Levine escaped from his room and was attacked by a Carnotaurus. He survived, thank goodness."

Ludlow shook his head in disbelief.

"That man is an idiot," said a voice. Ludlow turned, and saw Jane Powers come into the room. "Where have you been?" he asked irritably.

"Phone call with the investors," Jane said casually, shrugging.

Ludlow squinted. "I thought I made it clear I wanted to talk to them."

"Sorry, sir. You seemed preoccupied," she said. Atherton noted that Jane avoided meeting Ludiow's eyes as she spoke. More than that, she looked slightly uncomfortable. That was odd, especially for her…

* * *

Artie Bridges drove up to the rendezvous point. Stopping the jeep, he checked on Dr. Gustavus. Still unconscious, but thankfully alive.

He heard footsteps and he looked up. The jeep's headlights revealed several armed men walking toward him. Artie sighed in relief. "I was worried you wouldn't show up."

"Do have Gustavus?" one of the men asked.

"Yeah," Artie nodded. "He was unfortunately shot but he'll live. I ran into Wu and some others, but the raptors will finish them off."

"Raptors?"

"Yeah, apparently Gustavus created a new genetic raptor variant in secret without InGen's knowledge. He set them loose when I told him Wu was coming."

The men lifted Gustavus out of the jeep. There was a small building nearby that was their temporary base of operations.

"Is everyone here?" Artie asked.

"The boats landed under the cover of darkness without detection, just as planned. Then we split into teams. The others are planting the charges and sabotaging the enclosures."

"A busy night for all of us," Artie nodded.

"Just wait until daylight," one of the men smirked. "That's when the fireworks will begin."

* * *

"Sir!" a technician exclaimed.

Ludlow turned from regarding Jane, to face the technician. She was staring at a monitor. He approached her. "What is it?" he said.

The tech pointed at the screen. On it, Ludlow saw a group of people. They appeared to be in conversation. Then, two people carrying a third, unconscious man walked into frame. Then the whole group walked out of frame.

"What was that all about?" Ludlow demanded.

"I don't know, sir," the tech said.

Atherton walked over to see what was going on. Ludlow told him what he had just seen.

"Sounds suspicious," Atherton noted.

"Was that the spy?" Ludlow wondered aloud.

"Could be. Let's send someone down there to check."

"Better make it four someones." Ludlow got on the intercom and explained the situation to Arnold.

"Be right there," Arnold promised.

Ludlow got off the intercom and sat down heavily in a chair. What was happening to his island?

* * *

Somebody was trying to reach Harding on his radio. He answered it. "Yes?"

"Dr. Harding, this is Kathy," came a woman's voice. "I work at the nursery and watched over your delightful daughters yesterday. With everything I heard, I think it would be best to get the girls away from where the attacks are taking place. The facilities are probably the most secure part on the island, so I think they would be safer here."

Harding thought about it for a moment and he glanced at Atlanta and Jess. "Good idea," he decided. "Best not to take any chances. We're heading over there now." He ended the call.

"Who was that?" Jess asked. She was still awake, probably having a hard time falling asleep while knowing what might lurk nearby.

"Kathy," Harding answered. "The woman from the nursery. She was worried about you two and thought it would be safer in the facilities."

"She's probably right," Atlanta commented.

"I'll come with you," Trey volunteered. "Some extra protection couldn't help."

Harding gave Trey a grateful smile. "Thank you."

Leaving the room, Harding and company passed a man who was asking if anyone knew where somebody named Abby was.

"She's not in her room," the man explained, worried. "I can't reach her on the radio either. What if something got her?"

Harding tried to offer him words of comfort, but couldn't chat for long. Soon he was with Trey and his girls, driving toward the facilities and away from where the rogue dinosaurs had been seen last…

* * *

While Ruso slept, Wu searched through Gustavus' lab. Most of the research had either been destroyed or taken in a hurry, but there was still some bits left. And what Wu found was very fascinating.

Wu could understand why InGen had worked so hard to keep Gustavus. He really was brilliant. And since Wu had his own secret projects, he felt it would be hypocritical if he held these private experiments against Gustavus. While what he did here was dangerous, it was a shame that he hadn't shared this earlier with Wu. Gustavus had some great ideas, especially concerning the concept of genetic hybrids.

_We could have done great stuff together,_ Wu thought regretfully.

Wu was alerted by the sound of footsteps, and turned sharply, his heart thumping in his chest. But it was only Abby. The young woman looked disoriented.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" Wu said.

"No," Abby replied. She blinked several times in quick unison. "Where are we?"

"We're in Gustavus' lab," Wu told her.

Abby looked confused. "Why? Why haven't we gone back yet?"

"Because Artie took our car. That's how you got that bump on your head. He knocked you out."

"Oh," Abby said.

_Hmmm,_ Wu thought. Abby was acting strangely. Of course, it was normal for a person to be a bit out-of-sorts if they got hit on the head; but there was something more going on here. Wu worried that Abby might have suffered some kind of brain damage. "How do you feel?" he asked lightly.

"Bad," she replied, and put a hand to her head.

"You got a pretty good bump. I think the best thing for you to do would be to get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll take you back and let Dr. Caldwell take a look at you," Wu told her.

"Okay," Abby said, but she didn't move.

Wu walked over to her and took her hand. He led her back to the room where Ruso was. She laid down and within moments, was snoring.

"Is she okay?" Ruso asked. Wu didn't realize she was awake.

"I think so, but she might have a concussion or something," he told her.

Ruso sat up on her elbow. "We need to get her back soon."

"Arnold or someone should come looking for us soon," Wu replied hopefully.

"They should have been here an hour ago," Ruso said.

"Maybe something held them up. It's crazy out there," Wu reasoned.

"Maybe." Ruso lay back down. "Try to get some sleep, Dr. Wu."

"I can't sleep. It's too nerve-wracking."

"We're safe in here."

But Wu was smart enough to know that when it came to Troodon, no where was safe. But just to make Ruso happy he decided to lie down. They lapsed into silence, and then Wu whispered, "Do you have a family, Lori?"

"We all do, don't we?" Ruso replied.

"Well, yeah."

There was a brief pause, and then Ruso continued: "I have two sons. Tommy and Fred. Good kids. What about you?"

"No kids. No wife. These last few years I've been married to my work," Wu said.

Ruso chuckled a little. "Ever have a girlfriend?"

"Of course." He thought about that for a minute. "Not in the last ten years, though."

"Wow. You really are married to your work," Ruso said.

"What about your husband? What does he think of your work?"

"He could care less. I haven't seen him in over nine months."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Well, that's life."

They were quiet for several minutes, then Ruso spoke in a soft monotone: "When that guy Artie pointed that gun at us, I thought I was going to die. It seemed the most likely outcome. And again when that raptor attacked our car and ripped my arm to pieces. I thought I was going to die. And of course I was scared; I don't want to die. But that wasn't what frightened me most. The act of death, I mean. No matter how painful. What scares me most is the thought of some policeman going to my house late at night and telling my two sons that their mommy died. That's what frightens me."

Wu was silent as he considered her words. "That would be awful," he agreed.

"And on that cheery note, I'll see you tomorrow." Wu heard her turn over, and her breathing relax into a steady rhythm.

When was sure she was asleep, Wu sat up and pulled out a flashlight. After what Ruso had just told him, he wasn't going to fall asleep, someone had to stay up and watch, to make sure those little boys' mommy would make it home.

* * *

Levine was in the infirmary, having been taken there to get taken care of by Dr. Caldwell. He knew he was lucky to have survived the attack. But as terrified as he was, he was also just as curious. From what he heard, the dinosaur that had attacked him was a Carnotaurus. And InGen's Carnotaurus seemed to have the ability to camouflage. Very interesting.

Unfortunately, Levine knew that others weren't as excited about these creatures as he was. Levine wasn't the only one spending the night in the infirmary.

"What attacked them?" Levine asked, referencing the unconscious men resting in the medical bay's beds.

"I was told that there was an ambush out there," Dr. Caldwell admitted. "Velociraptors."

Levine nodded. He had read studies on the proposed intelligence and behavior of the Velociraptor, especially the theories written by Dr. Alan Grant. He wondered how true Grant's ideas were. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to find that out himself.

Levine sighed and laid back in his bed. It would be best to play it safe and not try to get in any more trouble. One close call was enough for him. Levine did not wish to add himself to the night's death toll.

* * *

Kathy smiled when she saw Dr. Harding, his daughters, and a member of the maintenance crew enter the nursery. "I'm so glad you were able to make it safely. It's been a hell of a night."

A period of awkward silence followed. Nobody was sure what to say. They certainly didn't want to pretend like there was no danger. They couldn't pretend that people hadn't died that night.

"I'll go get some sweets from the vending machines," Trey offered. "I'm sure we could all use a treat about now."

The others nodded in agreement and Trey left. A few minutes later, he returned with his arms full of snacks which were then divided among the group.

Atlanta, however, was distracted. Her eyes were focused on a poster hanging from the nursery's wall. 'Help prevent DX.'

Atlanta had seen similar posters all over the facilities. What was DX?

"Are you okay, Atlanta?" Harding asked.

"I'm fine," Atlanta lied, looking away from the poster. "Thanks for asking though."

They returned to an uneasy silence, feeling everything would come crashing down on their heads at any moment.

* * *

Artie walked with his accomplices down to the docks. He was aware that this area would be monitored by security cameras; but it didn't matter, by the time someone figured out that something was afoot, it would be too late.

The boat was just ahead, gently swaying in the water, waiting for them. Artie waited as two of his companies lowered the unconscious Gustavus into the boat.

"Uh, guys?" Lance, a bearded man said. He pointed behind Artie. Artie turned to see a jeep rumbling toward them, its headlights glaring at them like a pair of eyes. "Uh oh," he said.

"Hurry, get in!" shouted one of the men.

"No, it's too late," Lance said. "We won't get away in time." He drew his firearm. Artie looked at him doubtfully.

"It's our only chance now," Lance told him.

Artie nodded and drew his own gun, and began to fire at the oncoming jeep.

* * *

The silence in the nursery was broken by the echo of several gunshots throughout the hallways, startling Harding's group.

"Did a dinosaur get in?" Jess asked, trying to not sound panicked.

"Maybe," Trey considered, pulling out his gun. "Or it could be something else. Stay here."

While the others did as they were told, Trey ran out of the nursery with his handgun withdrawn. He wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. Hell, he was just a repairman with a gun. But it he had a chance to save lives that night, he was going to take it.

He raced down the hallways, trying to listen for more gunshots. There weren't any, but Trey doubted the shots they had heard was the end of it.

* * *

The windshield shattered before Arnold's eyes. "Get down!" he screamed, above the sound of gunshots. He ducked under the steering wheel, keeping his head low as bullets continued to riddle the jeep. Beside him, Ronnie Jacobs, a security guard, slumped forward in his seat; when Arnold turned to look at him, he saw that the man was dead.

He heard a door opening and banging closed. Noah jumped out of the jeep and began returning fire. Arnold pulled his gun and peeked above the steering wheel, through the shattered windshield. He saw two bodies lying on the dock. He saw people jumping into a boat as the boat began to speed away. Arnold opened his door and got out. He ran towards the boat, firing at it as he went. But the boat was too fast. By the time he got to the end of the dock, the boat was cutting the waves and speeding off into the night. He heard the occupants cheering and hooting victoriously. Arnold fired one more shot, just for good measure.

"Jacobs is dead." Arnold turned to see Noah. The man looked unharmed, but very mad.

"What about Reynolds?" Arnold asked. Then he saw the man. He was crouched over the bodies of the men Noah had shot.

"Guys!" Reynolds said. "This man is alive."

Arnold and Noah walked over to him. The man whom Reynolds was crouched over was none other than Artie Bridges.

Arnold swore. Noah looked at him quizzically. Without taking his eyes off of Artie, Arnold began to explain. "This man is Artie Bridges. He's a scientist. He worked on Nublar."

"What is he doing here?" Noah wondered aloud. "What were any of them doing here?"

"I don't know," Arnold answered truthfully. "But maybe he can give us some answers."

"I'd like to question him," Noah said immediately. Arnold cast him a questioning glance. "This man killed Jacobs. Just killed him in cold blood. I want to know why. I will know why," Noah said.

"Come on," Arnold said seriously. "Let's get out of here."

The ground shook beneath Arnold's feet. Thoom. The men felt another vibration. Thoom.

Arnold's eyes widened in horror and realization. "Oh no… move! We have to leave now!"

Noah and Reynolds dragged Artie into the jeep as quickly as they could.

"Is one of the Rexes seriously free?" Noah said in disbelief. "This night is just getting worse!"

"Those people Artie was working with might be responsible," Arnold suggested. "Remember the Carnotaurus enclosure?"

Noah nodded. "Shit. Who knows how many dinosaurs are free now?"

The vibrations were getting louder and closer. In the distance branches snapped and trees shook. Something very large was heading in their direction, attracted by the sounds of gunfire.

Arnold wasn't planning on staying to greet the Rex. He started the jeep and began driving, hoping that would avoid the approaching predator.

A terrifying roar filled the ears of the men as the unseen Rex announced his arrival.

* * *

The boat containing the unconscious Dr. Gustavus and his 'rescuers' sped further and further away from shore. While the rest of the men slapped each other on the back for a job well done, one man, Devon, didn't feel so elated. He stared out over the railing, at the receding form of the island. Artie had been his friend. And he was dead. Of course, Devon knew that risks were involved in this kind of business - that was just a fact you had to accept sooner or later - but it didn't help to dull the ache in his heart.

"What's the matter, Devon?" That was Jason. The younger man slapped Devon on the back. "That was quite the adventure, eh?"

Devon shook him off. "Leave me alone, man," he growled.

"Woah, woah," Jason said, holding his arms up. "What's the matter with you?"

"What's the matter with me?!" Devon repeated, his voice giving to anger. "My friend is dead, that's what's wrong!"

Before Jason could answer, Kevin, who was steering the boat, called out, "Boys, I just got word from Sorkin. It's almost time for the fireworks."

* * *

Trey rushed into the control room. He was greeted by the bodies of several technicians. Several monitors were destroyed, a bullet having cracked the screen. A wounded Atherton rested in a corner. Trey ran over to him.

"Dr. Atherton! What happened here?"

"It was Ms. Powers," Atherton managed to say weakly. "She had a gun… shot almost everyone and took Ludlow hostage. I… I have no idea where she went after that."

"Jane Powers did this?" Trey asked, looking around at the body-filled room.

"Stop her," Atherton begged. "You have to stop her."

Dr. Caldwell came in to treat Atherton. Trusting the doctor, Trey sped off to the garage. That's the only way Jane could get Ludlow away from everyone.

By the time Trey got there, it was too late. He could make out the back lights of a jeep heading away from him. However, Trey was determined not to lose them. Eyes searching around the garage, Trey spotted a functioning motorcycle.

Trey quickly got off and sped after Jane's jeep. One way or another, she was not getting away from him.

Ludlow looked back and saw Trey. He felt relieved and hopeful, but then Jane increased their speed and Ludlow was fearful again. What did Jane want with him?

* * *

Arnold both felt and heard the tremendous booms as the tyrannosaur moved about, undoubtedly drawn by the commotion there.

Arnold looked at his companions and saw the fear in their eyes. Without saying anything, he turned and jumped off the edge of the dock. In his moment of panic, that was the only safe place he could think of. He regretted his decision as soon as he hit the water; it was ice-cold. He swam to the surface, coughing up water. Noah was in the water beside him, as was Reynolds.

"Maybe we could have hid somewhere else," Arnold remarked. It was only then that he realized he'd forgotten something. "Artie!" He exclaimed. The man was still up there, unconscious on the dock.

"Just leave him," Noah said coldly. "It's no more than he deserves."

But Arnold wasn't going to just leave Artie to die. He grabbed onto the ladder and hauled himself back onto the dock.

"Ray, don't be stupid!" Noah told him.

Dripping wet, Arnold walked over to Artie's unconscious form. As he began to speculate ways to get the man to safety, he looked up. The tyrannosaur was looking right at him.

"Oh no."

The tyrannosaur didn't move, he just stood there and looked down on the humans that he now towered above. Arnold froze, too terrified to do anything. He doubted that anything he did would spare him or Artie from the predator's jaws.

Suddenly, the ground shook once again. And not because of the Rex. The sun was only just beginning to rise when an explosion could be heard. The Rex, distracted, turned away from Arnold to look upon the nearby explosion. Arnold didn't know what the cause of the blast was, but he took advantage of the Rex's diverted attention by dragging Artie's body over the dock's edge, keeping Artie's head above the water as he rejoined Noah and Reynolds.

The Rex roared and Arnold heard heavy footsteps as the dinosaur walked off, likely to investigate the new commotion.

"What was that sound?" Noah asked.

"An explosion," Arnold answered. "Luckily, the Rex is more interested in it than us."

"But what caused the explosion?"

Arnold didn't answer. He had a suspicion, but he hoped that he was wrong. What he didn't know was that other explosions were being set off around the island.

The fireworks had begun.

* * *

**The fireworks has begun.**

**One thing I do want to talk about is the "Demons" of Isla Sorna. It was something I definitely wanted to include in this story, since I love the Carnotaurus from "The Lost World" novel with their camouflage abilities. I'm disappointed that the novel Carnotaurus never made it to film, though at least the species got some screentime in Fallen Kingdom. Here I nicknamed them "Demons" because of their horns and frightening abilities, I wanted to build up these dinosaurs as something not to be taken lightly. The scene where one attacks Richard Levine is actually right out of "The Lost World" novel. The mention of "DX" was also something from "The Lost World" novel, something I had big plans for...**

**One other thing I want to mention is that this T-Rex is specifically male. The main T-Rex from "The Isla Nublar Incident" and "The Chaos Continues" was female, so I thought it would be nice to change things up a bit. This male is actually the buck T-Rex from "The Lost World." Will we later see his mate? Perhaps...**

**It's good to be back and I hope you enjoy getting some new content from this series. I'll try to get out the last two written iterations sooner rather than later and after that... I guess we'll see. Thank you for reading and please leave a review.**


	4. Fourth Iteration

**Surprise, another iteration out shortly after the last. Hope you enjoy and please leave reviews.**

* * *

**Fourth Iteration**

"_Inevitably, underlying instabilities begin to appear."_

-IAN MALCOLM

Derrick stopped where he was when he felt the tremor. What was that? A tyrannosaur? If it was a tyrannosaur, it was close. Derrick decided to find out for sure. He made his way outside, and had a look around. The night was waning. He could see more clearly now. He spotted a man walking down the road. He began to call out a greeting, when the explosion sent him flying through the air. The last thing he saw was the ground rushing up to meet him.

* * *

The nursery lights flickered as explosive charges went off nearby.

"Was that an explosion?" Jess asked, shaking.

"Might be," Harding admitted grimly. "Stay here with Kathy. If anyone's hurt, they might need my help. Besides Dr. Caldwell, I'm the closest we got to an actual doctor."

"You're leaving us?" Atlanta asked in disbelief. "Why am I not surprised."

"I'm sorry," Harding apologized. "I want to be with you girls, but I can't always. I have a duty to you two, but also everyone else on the island. If I have the chance to save a life, I have to take it. If I don't do anything, I could be responsible for their deaths. Understand?"

Atlanta nodded. "Yeah… I'm sorry. You're right. Just be careful, please?"

Atlanta hugged Harding tightly and Jess joined her. Harding hugged back. "We're going to be fine," he promised. "If there's anything Nublar taught me, it's that Hardings are tough. And you're a Harding now, Atlanta. Nothing is going to stop me from coming back to you."

Atlanta smiled and she reluctantly let go of Harding. "Good luck."

Harding gave an appreciative nod and ran off. Jess hugged Atlanta.

"What was that for?" Atlanta asked.

"To remind you that as long as you're my sister, you won't be alone."

"Thanks, Jess. Really."

* * *

Derrick opened his eyes. He was aware of a steady throbbing in his head. He reached up and touched his forehead. He felt something wet and looked at his fingers. Blood.

His senses gradually returned to him and he realized he was lying face-down on the gravel path. Everything hurt. His head especially. He tried lifting his head to no avail. His ears were ringing. What had happened? He couldn't form a single thought. All matter of sense and logic were out of his grasp. He was aware of one thing and one thing only: pain.

He tried to call for help, but no words came out of his cracked lips. Panic rose up inside him as he considered the possibility that he may have lost his voice permanently. He moved his arm, and grabbed a handful of gravel. He moved his head slightly, toward the treeline. It was still dark out, but was growing lighter by the minute. Derrick groaned when he saw the shape of a dinosaur at the treeline. It was a raptor. The nine-foot-long carnivore didn't resemble the raptors he'd seen earlier. This one was white and had tiger stripes running down its back. Again Derrick tried to scream for help, and this time a small croak escaped his lips. He tried again, and this time was able to choke out a quiet help.

For whatever reason the raptor didn't come any closer. It stayed at the treeline and waved its arms in the air in irritation. What was it doing? Derrick clearly didn't pose any threat to it, so what was the raptor waiting for? Was it scared? Then realization caved in on Derrick. The raptor was afraid because the building behind Derrick was on fire. Suddenly it all came back to Derrick. The building had blown up, the shock wave sent him flying across the road, he hit his head and was knocked out. And the building was still on fire. Surely, someone would come soon and see him there. Someone would rescue him. Derrick hoped it was soon, because the raptor was looking more hungry by the minute.

* * *

Trey heard an explosion behind him and he looked back over his shoulder to see what had happened. His motorcycle struck something on the road while his eyes weren't looking in front of him and Trey was thrown off his vehicle into the air. He gasped and struck the dirt road, groaning in pain as his body collided with the ground.

He started to get up, moving weakly. Jane's jeep was getting farther away with each second. Trey could see smoke over the trees in the early daylight. He wondered what had happened, but right now he had to focus on saving Ludlow. He managed to recover his motorcycle and he got on, hoping that this slip-up hadn't cost him.

* * *

Atherton had been taken into the infirmary. Dr. Caldwell was treating the gunshot wounds when the ground rumbled and the lights flickered.

"What the hell?" Caldwell asked, pausing briefly. He looked at Levine, as if expecting an answer from the paleontologist. When Levine didn't respond, he went back to performing on Atherton. Luckily, the scientist hadn't been shot in the vital areas and was going to live. Which was more than could be said about the other technicians who had been in the control room…

Levine decided that he had to find out what happened. He got out of his cot and passed the unaware Caldwell, leaving the infirmary. The hallways were filled with workers and employees trying to figure out what had caused the explosion and what they could do about it. Without Ludlow, Atherton, or Ruso, nobody knew who to turn to. Panic was beginning to set in.

Levine found a spare lab coat in an unlocked room and he put it on, hoping to blend in better while searching for answers. He passed the control room and he was shocked by the sight of it, dead bodies scattered across the floor in dying positions. Looking around, Levine found a functioning monitor that was flashing red.

The screen read: HURRICANE WARNING

_Well, this can't be good,_ Levine decided. He quickly left the control room before anyone saw him. He had to get to the bottom of this crisis before it completely destroyed operations on the island.

* * *

The raptor perked its head up, suddenly attentive. It sniffed the air several times, then let out a hiss and fled into the foliage. Derrick watched it go, an odd sense of dread washing through him. He remembered back to the incident with the Edmontosaurus. The herbivores had all fled in a sudden panic.

Derrick tried to move. He started by simply moving his arms into a position where he could then push himself off the ground. That in itself was quite the task, given how slow and uncooperative his limbs were.

Then Derrick heard a sound. At first he thought it was just the wind blowing through the trees. Then he realized what it actually was, and a chill crept down his spine. Breathing.

Derrick turned his head in time to see a massive foot step down two inches away from his head. A three-toed foot. Derrick knew it was over. There wasn't even any point in trying to run. But nonetheless, he began to cry for help. His voice had returned to him and he just let off the first cry when the Carnotaur clamped its jaws around his neck and hoisted him into the air. The teeth ripped through the skin on Derrick's neck. Derrick was able to formulate one final thought - one of abject terror - before his attacker bit down, severing his head from his shoulders. And Derrick thought nothing more from then on.

* * *

Through a pair of binoculars Laura Sorkin watched InGen succumb to chaos. Everything was going according to plan. With their facilities damaged, their assets free, and their staff without leadership, Site B would soon be shut down permanently and InGen would be in its dying moments. What had begun on Nublar was finally going to end.

"Appreciating our handiwork?" Lewis Dodgson asked Sorkin as she lowered the binoculars. "I think it's a spectacular way to begin a new day."

"If only it could be perfect," Sorkin sighed. "Wu is still out there. He was part of our agreement."

"We'll get him," Dodgson insisted. "It's only a matter of time. Everything's worked out so far. This time, it's InGen that's going extinct."

"I got a call from Ms. Powers," Howard King announced. "She's got Ludlow and she's coming our way."

"It is about time I meet Hammond's successor," Dodgson nodded. "I want him to know who is responsible for his downfall."

"I'm sure you two would get along nicely," Sorkin commented. "Considering your motivations."

"At least I'm more agreeable," Dodgson shrugged. "I was willing to forget what happened on Nublar and work with you to finally defeat our common enemy."

"And then we'll go our separate ways," Sorkin finished. "Just keep your end of the deal and leave the islands alone, since you got what you wanted."

"We already have what we need," Dodgson reminded.

Sorkin nodded. "Soon what InGen did here will be forgotten. Only the creatures they spawned for profit will be left. It'll be a lost world."

"Fine by me," Dodgson said as he turned away. "Let InGen fade away from memory."

Sorkin could hear the cry of Site B's dinosaurs in the distance. Soon this island would belong to them, not Ludlow. Soon the dinosaurs would be left in peace, free to live out their lives as they please.

* * *

Wu was awakened by a distant boom. He jerked into consciousness and quickly looked around to ensure there was no immediate danger. None that he could see. Then what was that noise?

Boom! There it was again. It sounded like thunder, almost. Or perhaps a tyrannosaur walking around its pen. But this sounded slightly different, though he couldn't place what it was…

"Henry?" He turned to see Lori Ruso, her dark eyes filled with confusion. "What is that?"

"I don't know," Wu answered truthfully.

Abby stirred and opened her eyes. She bolted upright and stared at Wu. "What's going on?" she yelled. "What-"

Wu slapped a hand over her mouth. "It's okay, Abby. Everything's fine," he soothed.

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Ruso said as she stood up. Wu quickly stood up as well.

"Does that sound like a T-Rex to you?" he asked.

"Maybe," Ruso said. Her eyebrows were knitted with concentration. "But it could be something else."

Wu looked out the window and saw that it was early morning. It was still dark out, but less so than it had been last night. "Still no one has come for us," he said. The fact that nobody had come looking after all this time, troubled him greatly. "Something must have happened, something that's keeping everyone busy."

"Maybe it has to do with that booming sound," Ruso speculated. "Should we see if we can get out of here?"

"Fine with me. Abby? Are you ready to go home?"

Abby stood up. She looked more focused, more sane than she had last night. "Is Lori's arm okay?" she asked.

Wu looked questioningly to Ruso, but she waved him off. "I'm fine. Come on, let's find a way out of here."

The three of them went outside and walked around the lab. They found a van used for transporting animals. Wu quickly checked inside to make sure there were no occupants, then he, Ruso and Abby got in.

Wu checked for keys but couldn't find any. "I can hot wire it for you," Abby offered. Wu cast a questioning glance at her. "Don't ask me how I know," she quickly told him.

Abby hot wired the vehicle, and soon the three of them were off.

Something large stepped onto the road and Wu hit the breaks. A Stegosaurus was in front of them. The dinosaur lazily gazed at the van and Wu honked the horn at the herbivore, which refused to move.

"What's the Stegosaurus doing out of his enclosure?" Ruso asked worriedly.

"And how many more dinosaurs are running amok?" Wu realized. This was even worse than he thought.

"Was it sabotage?" Abby asked. "Like what happened at Jurassic Park?"

Wu angrily punched the van's ceiling. "Dodgson! It has to be Dodgson! That bastard must be behind this!"

Slowly the Stegosaurus boredly walked into the jungle, not giving the people any notice. Wu swore in frustration.

"Not again," he said softly to himself. "Not again…"

Abby put a sympathetic hand on Wu's shoulder. She wanted to say something comforting, but she didn't know what. Wu had been through so much more than she had.

"We have to get back as soon as possible," Ruso told them. "It's worse out there then we thought. This is all my fault."

"What?" Wu asked, surprised that she was blaming herself.

"I'm the supervisor," Ruso explained. "Site B was my responsibility and it's falling to pieces."

"You're not to blame," Wu insisted. "You couldn't have possibly expected sabotage, especially since Ludlow had you worked so hard. You did the best you could."

"Those lives are still on me," Ruso said, shaking her head. "They are my staff."

Wu sighed. Ruso reminded him of how he blamed himself for the Nublar expedition after the Incident, which had also gone horribly wrong. Hopefully, the results wouldn't be as bad this time. He started driving forward and he wished that he wasn't too late, though he already feared the worst.

* * *

"Jane, this is crazy. Let me go!" Ludlow said, ashamed that his voice trembled a little.

"Shut up, please. I'm trying to concentrate," Jane replied tartly. She kept her eyes focused on the road, and her gun rested on Ludlow.

"I can't believe you j-just killed those people," Ludlow stammered.

"No?" Jane said. She took a turn. "I can't believe it, either."

"You're a psychopath," Ludlow accused.

"Keep it up and I'll knock you out. I told you I have to conce-"

Whatever she was saying died on her lips as the imposing form of a Tyrannosaurus Rex stepped into the road. The gargantuan predator opened his jaws and let loose a terrifying below that deafened Ludlow's ears.

"Those idiots!" Jane screamed. "I told them not to free the Rexes."

The T-Rex took one lurching step toward their vehicle.

Jane struck the brakes and tried to turn around before the dinosaur was on them. With her attention on the Rex, Ludlow acted. He grabbed Jane's arm and twisted the gun out of her grasp. Before she could fight back, Ludlow struck her on the forehead and stunned her. He then leaped out of the vehicle and started to run.

Jane realized that she wouldn't be able to turn around in time so she tried to leap out of the jeep as well. But the Rex was already too close. In a few steps he was already over Jane and he scooped the woman up in his jaws. Jane screamed and kicked, but only succeeded in annoying the predator. Jaws snapped shut and Jane was silenced forever, her final movements ceasing.

Ludlow didn't dare look back. He saw Trey up ahead and he desperately waved his arms at the maintenance worker. Trey saw the Rex and his eyes widened in horror. "Get on!" he screamed.

Ludlow obeyed and jumped onto the motorcycle behind Trey. The Rex finished swallowing Jane's lifeless body and he noticed the two men trying to get away. He roared and started making his way toward them.

Ludlow held on tight as Trey furiously drove his motorcycle in an attempt to outrun the pursuing Rex. Another terrifying bellow shook Ludlow's ears. He shouted at Trey to go faster, swearing that he could feel the dinosaur's hot breath on his back. Ludlow shut his eyes tight, praying for it to be over. He wished that he could be back in San Diego.

Trey focused on the road ahead and refused to let panic sink in. Their lives were on the line and he was not going to get them both killed.

The headlight was damaged, making it difficult for Trey to see the road ahead. But he was pretty sure he was going the right way.

A sharp turn came up. Trey swerved to stay on the road, but the tires slipped on mud. The bike fell over, and Trey found himself falling, and landing in the ditch. He screamed in pain. In the darkness, he looked down at his leg, the source of the pain. He tried to move it, but it wouldn't budge. _Must be broken,_ he thought through gritted teeth. Overwhelmed by pain and terror, he began to cry. The Rex roared in the distance and Trey felt the vibrations in the earth as the predator walked.

"Ludlow," he gasped.

He saw a body lying beside him and crawled over to it. It was Ludlow. The man was knocked out.

"Ludlow." Trey shook him.

Ludlow's eyes opened. He groaned and put a hand to his head. "What happened?" he asked, his voice slurred.

"We fell," Trey told him. "My leg is broken. You have to help me."

Trey heard bursts of gunfire and the Rex bellowed in pain. Then the vibrations of earth got fainter and fainter as the Rex walked away. Trey sighed in relief. Somebody had come to help them. Thank God.

His relief vanished once he saw the people standing over them at the top of the ditch. In the faint light it was hard to make them out, but their faces were masked and they were well armed. Whoever they were, they didn't work for InGen.

Ludlow surrendered as their 'rescuers' kept their guns trained on them. The leader stepped forward.

"Where's Jane?" he asked.

"Inside that Rex," Ludlow answered and the leader swore under his breath.

"Shit. Well, the plan is still the same. Mr. Ludlow, you're coming with us."

"Who the hell are you people?" Ludlow demanded. "Who do you work-"

The man smacked the side of Ludlow's head with his gun. "Shut up."

Ludlow nodded fearfully and didn't say another word. Several of the masked people began escorting Ludlow out of the ditch, while the leader looked over Trey.

"Are you going to kill me?" Trey asked, trying to sound brave.

"Nah," the leader decided. "With that broken leg you'll be going nowhere. I have a job to do."

Then Trey was left alone in the ditch. He heard an engine and then there was silence. Trey could now only wait for someone or something to find him. He considered calling for help, which could easily attract a predator. But he had very few options. He shouted, hoping that whoever answered would be human and not a dinosaur.

* * *

Noah and Arnold had Artie propped up between them. Doing this, they were able to make good time walking along the shore. Reynolds walked ahead of them and kept his eyes out for any danger.

They eventually made it back to the dock. The T-Rex had left long ago; it had also devoured the body of the man Noah shot. The three men made their way back to the car, which was battered and riddled with bullet holes. The windshield was smashed and glass laid on the seats, but Arnold quickly brushed it off.

"Put Artie in the back," he told Noah.

Noah growled and through much trial and error, eventually managed to maneuver the unconscious man into the back seat. Then he took his place in the passenger seat. Reynolds sat in the back with Artie.

"If he wakes up, hit him," Arnold instructed Reynolds. The younger man nodded.

"Now let's get back to the others," Arnold continued. He started the engine, and they drove out of there.

* * *

Trey kept calling out, praying for somebody to hear him. Then he was answered, but it was not the answer he was hoping for. It was a hooting sound… the hoot of a Dilophosaurus.

Trey saw the juvenile dinosaur come out of the jungle and begin stalking its prey. Trey tried desperately to crawl away, ignoring the pain in his broken leg. But the Dilophosaurus was slowly getting closer, almost teasing its prey with its deliberate casualness.

Trey was about ready to give up hope, but then he noticed something in the dark ditch… his gun. He reached for it and his guns closed around the weapon. The Dilophosaurus was almost on him when he turned the gun on the predator. The dinosaur hissed and flared its colorful frill. Trey squeezed the trigger. Both human and dinosaur fired at the same time.

One missed, the other struck.

A wet glob of poison stuck Trey on the lower portion of his face - right into his mouth. He spat furiously, trying desperately to rid his mouth of the vile, vomit-tasting excretion. Heavens, it was bad. He heard another click, and another glob of spit hit the ground next to him. He looked up and re-trained his gun on the Dilophosaurus. He fired six times. The Dilophosaur fled, perhaps wounded, perhaps not. Didn't matter, it was gone.

Trey collapsed to the ground, panting and whimpering. His heart was thrumming in his chest. He thought he might pass out from fear. But he couldn't, or he'd die for sure.

He began to crawl up the ditch, painful though it was. He just had to get to the road; someone would be able to spot him more easily from up there.

It was then that he heard the sound of a car engine.

* * *

Wu saw a body at the side of the road and he hit the breaks.

"What is it?" Ruso asked. "Another dinosaur?"

"No, it's a man," Wu explained, getting out of the van. He ran over to the body, which was barely moving.

The wounded man looked up and Wu recognized that it was Trey Roland. "Wu…"

Wu saw the crashed motorcycle lying in the ditch. He checked Trey's leg and confirmed that it was indeed broken. He also noticed something on Trey's face, definitely Dilophosaurus spit.

"Who is he?" Abby asked, getting out of the van as well.

"His name is Trey Roland," Wu answered. "He's a maintenance worker and he was on Nublar during the Incident. I have no idea what he's doing out here though. Looks like he was attacked by a Dilophosaurus. Help me get him into the van."

"Wu," Trey managed to say, fighting to stay conscious long enough. "T-they have him."

"Have who?" Wu wanted to know.

"Ludlow," Trey barely stated. "Those bastards have Ludlow…"

Trey then passed out from the pain.

Ruso helped Wu carry the unconscious Trey into the van.

"This is out of our hands now," Wu said to Ruso. "We're going to have to call for aid."

Ruso frowned. Some part of her still held out hope that this situation could be rectified. But now that Ludlow was in foreign hands, she had no choice but to acknowledge the severity of the situation. "Alright," she sighed. "We'll make the call as soon as we get back."

Wu's face softened. "I was like you, when things went to hell back on Nublar. I trusted the system. I trusted that it could eventually be straightened out. But I was fooling myself. My refusal to acknowledge that cost people their lives. I'm glad to see that you're not following in my footsteps."

Ruso was touched by his sentimentalism, but they didn't have time for sob stories right now. "Save it for later," she told him. "Right now we have to get this man to safety."

Wu nodded. Then he and Ruso clambered back into the van, and they drove off.

* * *

Ludlow stayed silent as he was forced onto a jeep by his captors. He knew better than to give them a reason to get physical, so he cooperated without offering resistance.

The drive was tense and though Ludlow tried to stay calm, he was fearing for his life. These people seemed to want him alive for now, but that could easily change.

Eventually, the jeep stopped and Ludlow was told to get out. He didn't need to be told twice.

"Where's Jane?" a woman's voice asked.

"A Rex got her," the leader of Wu's captors responded.

"An unfortunate loss," the woman's voice said regretfully. She came into Ludlow's view. She wore camouflaged gear and glasses. Her face was tired, but determined. And she was armed. Ludlow's eyes widened in surprise. His mouth dropped open.

"S-sorkin! You're alive! But Wu said you had been killed!"

"That wasn't the first time Wu was wrong," Sorkin said with a smile. She enjoyed seeing Ludlow in this position. "It's been a long time, Peter. And this is long overdue."

She struck Ludlow with her weapon and everything went black.

* * *

"Has Dr. Wu returned yet?" Norman Atherton asked. His eyes were barely open; he was drifting in and out of consciousness.

Caldwell shook his head. "I don't think so, Dr. Atherton."

Atherton sighed. "Be sure to let me know once you hear word…"

A guard came into the infirmary, a grim look on his face. Caldwell braced himself for more bad news.

"I found something," the guard said. He walked into the room, and placed a bag on the table. Caldwell noticed a sickly-sweet smell. He walked over to the table to see what was in the bag.

It was a severed human hand, and a name tag. The guard pulled the name tag out and read it aloud.

"Derrick Hoyle."

Caldwell paused. "Derrick Hoyle? He was one of the newbies."

"Looks like the raptors got him," the guard said grimly.

There was a brief pause.

"Where did you find these?" Caldwell asked.

"On the road out back," the guard told him. "Someone blew up the maintenance shed too."

Caldwell nodded. He was aware of the explosions that had gone off all over the island.

"We should preserve his remains," Caldwell said. "Can you do that for me, please? I have to keep an eye on Dr. Atherton."

The guard grimaced. "Sure."

He left, and Caldwell returned to the barely-awake Atherton. "What's this about me?" he asked.

"Nothing, Dr. Atherton. Don't worry about it."

"What did that guard want to show you?" Atherton wanted to know.

Caldwell hesitated before answering. "He just informed me of an attack," he said.

"Another attack? Was anyone killed?"

"No," Caldwell lied.

"That's good." Atherton relaxed into a light sleep. Caldwell wasn't sure why he had lied to him about Derrick's fate. Maybe he just wanted to spare the older man the grief. He would find out one way or another; why cause him for pain than necessary?

* * *

The Sorna facilities eventually came into view. Wu sighed, relieved to have finally returned to the operations center. The relief vanished when he saw smoke rising into the morning sky. Were the buildings damaged? Had there been some sort of attack?

He parked the van and got out. A worker immediately rushed over.

"Dr. Wu! Supervisor Ruso! Thank God you're both okay!"

"What the hell happened here?" Ruso demanded.

"Nobody's completely sure," the worker admitted. "There was an explosion. Not just here either. Some sort of sabotage, most likely."

"Goddammit," Ruso swore. "I should have never left. Everything's gone to hell. Where's Ludlow?"

"Gone," the worker answered. "The head of public relations, Jane Powers, went rogue. She killed several technicians, wounded Dr. Atherton, and took Ludlow hostage. They drove off in a jeep."

Ruso couldn't believe how downhill things had spiraled. "We have a wounded man. Take him to the infirmary and have Dr. Caldwell treat him."

The worker nodded and he helped Abby with the unconscious Trey.

"This is not your fault," Wu tried to reassure. "Nobody could have predicted this."

"Now is not the time," Ruso told Wu. "Right now I need to focus on restoring order. You should check on Atherton."

Wu nodded and he ran to check on his mentor. He worried about the state of the island. Was history really going to repeat itself? No, that was just Malcolm's rants on chaos getting to him. Right?

* * *

Ruso found the control room empty. Where had everyone gone? She noticed blood stains on the floor. She grimaced; Powers had done more damage than she initially thought. That would have to be dealt with later. For now, she had an announcement to make. She walked to the central computer and got on the intercom. "Attention, all staff and visitors." Her voice trembled slightly; she took a moment to compose herself. Then, she continued: "As you are most likely aware, we are having a crisis. I would advise all of you to return to the facilities at once. If you are unable, sit tight - someone will be along to help you right away. If you are injured… wait for rescue to come to you. Do not approach any dinosaurs. If you see one outside of its confines, leave it. Thank you for your cooperation."

Then she sat heavily in a chair, completely drained. She rubbed her forehead in defeat. What a mess this turned out to be.

* * *

Trey was taken into the infirmary, which was reaching its full capacity by now. Dr. Caldwell had his hands full, but luckily Harding had volunteered to help. Wu was relieved to see that Harding was alright.

"Harding!" Wu said. "It's such a relief to see you. How are your daughters?"

"Scared, but unhurt," Harding answered. "They're in the nursery with Kathy. Thanks for asking."

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this," Wu apologized.

"It wasn't your choice," Harding told Wu. "It was Ludlow and Atherton. I won't hold this against you."

Wu remembered that he came here to check on Atherton. "Where is Norman?"

Harding pointed to one of the many occupied beds and Wu went over to check on Atherton.

Abby was asking Dr. Caldwell if he knew what happened to Derek.

"I'm sorry," Caldwell apologized. "His remains were found. We believe he was killed by a raptor."

Abby gasped in shock and covered her mouth. Tears going down her face, she fled the infirmary.

Arnold stopped the jeep on the side of the road. He let out a sigh of relief; they'd made it. They were alive. "Come on," he said to Noah and Reynolds. "Let's get Artie inside."

He, Noah and Reynolds worked together to get the unconscious man indoors. They brought him to the infirmary. Arnold was surprised at how many injured people there were. There was Trey, a maintenance worker; Chris and Mille; and Ruso. Arnold was glad to see Ruso was alive.

Dr. Caldwell instructed them to put Artie on the table. "He'll be fine," he said after a quick examination. "The bullet went through clean. Thank goodness. I have too much on my hands. Luckily, that other doctor should be here soon."

Arnold walked over to Ruso. "Good to see you, ma'am. Is Wu alright?"

"Yes," Ruso told him.

Wu was talking to Atherton. When he saw Arnold, he smiled.

"You look like hell," Wu told Arnold.

"Been through it too," Arnold responded, returning the smile. "Where have you been?"

"Long story," Wu answered. He noticed Artie's unconscious form. "Looks like you caught that bastard."

"What do you mean?" Arnold asked.

"Like I said, long story. Artie wanted Gustavus and he took him, leaving the rest of us to be killed by raptors. Did you get Gustavus as well?"

Arnold shook his head. "I had no idea Bridges had him. But he was not working alone. Bridges had several accomplices."

"When he wakes up, we'll have answers," Wu decided. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Want to raid a vending machine and catch up?"

Arnold nodded. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

They left the infirmary together.

* * *

"Levine," Dr. Caldwell said. He didn't look at the scientist; his focus was on an injured workman.

Levine stood up and walked over to him. "Yes?"

"I have a job for you," Caldwell said. He slipped a couple of quarters into Levine's palm. "Go get me a Coke, please."

Levine frowned, indignant. "I thought it would be something important."

"It is important," Caldwell said. "I haven't eaten anything for hours. My blood sugar is way down."

"Fine," Levine sighed. He took the coins and left the infirmary. He looked around for a vending machine, but didn't see one anywhere. He wandered around for a while, looking for one. _This is stupid,_ he thought. _I don't work here. How am I supposed to find a stupid vending machine? Why couldn't he have sent someone else?_

Then he noticed a soft crying coming from the room to his left. Curious, he turned into the room and looked in. There was a woman there - she sat against one of the shelves, her head in her hands. Her long dark hair fell over her face. She looked up when he entered, and quickly wiped her eyes. Now that he could see her face more clearly, Levine saw that she was young - maybe twenty-three. Her appearance was youthful; she had exquisite dark eyes. All in all, she wasn't bad to look at.

"Sorry," Levine said. "I was looking for a vending machine and… I heard you."

"Sorry," the woman said. She wiped her nose.

"No, that's okay. What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Levine prompted, taking another step into the room.

"My… my friend. He got eaten," the woman told him.

Levine winced. "Wow, that's awful. I'm sorry… um… what's your name?"

"Abbie," she told him. "Who are you?"

"Richard Levine."

"Dr. Richard Levine?"

Levine nodded, swelling with pride, as he always did whenever someone recognized his name.

"What are you doing here?" Abbie asked. "On the island, I mean."

"Uh... well, that's a good question," Levine said, scratching the back of his neck. "I sort of, erm, snuck aboard a ship and… well, you know the rest."

Abbie's eyes widened. "You mean, you weren't invited here? You came on your own accord?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," Levine said.

* * *

Wu was talking to Arnold when Ruso ran up to them. "Wu, we got a problem!"

"What is it?" Wu asked, wondering how things could have possibly gotten worse.

"Monitors are tracking a hurricane heading our way," Ruso explained. "I'm evacuating Site B. I don't want to risk any more lives."

"That's wise," Wu agreed. Ruso was better than Hammond. Better than him, honestly.

"I don't care if the board fires me for this and I don't care if we lose the island, but I am not getting all my staff killed."

"What about Ludlow?" Arnold asked.

"I don't know," Ruso admitted. "I-I'm in over my head. But there are children on this island. The safety of my people and Harding's daughters is top priority. The helicopters will be here in a few hours. I pray to God that they'll beat the hurricane."

"I think this is the right choice," Wu comforted. "And I'll help in any way that I can."

"Me too," Arnold agreed.

* * *

Artie Bridges opened his eyes. For a moment he was confused; then he realized where he must be: in a doctor's office. On the mainland? But when he looked around, he realized it wasn't so. Wu was here, as was Ruso. He was still on the island. What had happened? He struggled to remember, but his thoughts were fuzzy. He sat upright, and groaned in pain; his shoulder was on fire. What had happened to it?

"Easy," a voice said. It was a man. He was dressed in a long white coat, indicating his position as the doctor.

"Is he awake?" That was Wu. The geneticist walked over to him.

"Yes," Artie growled. "Not happy to see you, doc."

"I have to agree," Wu retorted.

A large man with a beard walked up behind Wu. "Hey," he said, his voice brittle. "You remember me, don't you? I'm the one who gave you that." He touched Artie's wounded shoulder, causing him to flinch.

"Hey," Caldwell interjected. "Everyone back up a little bit."

"Do you know what this man has done, Dr. Calwell?" Wu said. "He tried to kill Ruso and myself. He's a dangerous felon; an assassin hired by Dodgson."

"He should be disposed of here and now," said Noah bitterly. "It's no more than he deserves."

"Nobody is shooting anybody in my infirmary!" Caldwell snapped.

"We have to question this man," Ruso said. "He can give us information about Dodgson's plans."

Artie laughed. "I'll never tell you anything," he said.

Noah cracked his knuckles. "Want to test that theory?"

* * *

Ludlow slowly regained consciousness. He was indoors now, a look around at his surroundings revealed that he was probably in a large maintenance shed. And he wasn't alone. He recognized Sorkin and the masked leader of his captors. There were two other people. After a moment Ludlow realized that he was looking at the face of his competition. Lewis Dodgson, head of research at Biosyn. The man with Dodgson must be his associate.

"I knew it," Ludlow said coldly. "I knew you had to be behind this, Dodgson. Though I am surprised that Dr. Sorkin would lower herself to associate with Biosyn scum."

"Unlikely alliances are necessary to survive," Dodgson answered smoothly. "Especially when the two parties have a common enemy. In this case, we both want to see everything you've worked for fall."

"You won't get away with this," Ludlow said defiantly, though he wasn't sure what he could do about it.

"What a cliched response," Dodgson taunted. "I expected better from you, Peter. Though I guess you can't compare to your uncle. John Hammond built InGen. You just inherited it."

"And you just steal everyone's work," Ludlow replied. "Your company has more lawyers than scientists. Hammond was a visionary. You're just a corporate terrorist."

Dodgson's fist struck and Ludlow felt his nose being broken. Still, it had been worth it.

"Business is survival of the fittest, Peter," Dodgson explained. "Resourceful guys like me, we survive. Scrubs like you don't even get participation trophies. You would drive InGen into the ground anyway. We're just… speeding up the process."

"I think I hear jealousy in your tone," Ludlow spat back. "We did what nobody in your department could, so you did the only thing you're good at to compensate. You were always a better criminal, Dodgson. Your illegal activities are much more impressive than your legal ones. When Biosyn shuts down, perhaps you could become a mob boss or something."

A fist connected with Ludlow's stomach, but he didn't care. He could tell he was getting to Dodgson.

While Dodgson starting beating Ludlow, Howard King looked visibly disgusted. Even Sorkin showed some discomfort at Dodgson continuous attacks. But nobody tried to stop him and Dodgson continued striking Ludlow.

* * *

"I gotta take a leak," Artie announced, somewhat embarrassed.

Caldwell looked up from his work. "All the guards are busy. I'll call for one, just sit tight-"

"I've been sitting tight for over an hour," Artie interrupted.

"I'll take him," Wu offered.

"No way, Henry. You're not nearly strong enough to handle this guy." That was Noah. The man had been leaning against the wall, arms folded across his chest, up until now. Now he straightened up and walked over to them.

"I'm not sure about that," Caldwell said.

"Neither am I," Artie added. "You're the guy who shot me. I don't think I want to be alone with you."

"Then I guess you have no choice but to pee in your pants," Noah said.

Artie sighed. "Fine. But I want Wu to come, too."

Noah began to tell him that he was in no position to be making demands, but Wu cut him off. "Don't start. I'll go if it makes it easier," he said.

"Fine," Noah snapped. "Let's go, you two."

* * *

**Meanwhile, on the mainland…**

Kelly Malcolm was making breakfast in the kitchen. She had gotten pretty good at cooking lately and she wanted to help around the house more, especially with her father's injury in consideration. Her father had come home late last night while she had been sleeping, but she hoped to surprise him this morning. They had been spending more time together since Costa Rica, but soon Kelly would need to go to school. She wanted to make the most of the end of summer.

Kelly heard somebody come downstairs into the kitchen and she turned around, expecting to see Ian Malcolm. Instead it was a woman, much to Kelly's surprise.

"Oh, hi," the woman said. "It's nice to see you again, Kelly."

Kelly knew this woman, though she hadn't seen her in two months. "Dr. Harding! It's nice to see you again too. I wasn't expecting to see you so soon… in my house."

"I wanted to talk to your father yesterday," Sarah explained. "We hoped to continue our discussion today. You're up early."

"I wanted to surprise my dad with breakfast," Kelly told Sarah. "I can make some for you too."

"That's so sweet," Sarah complimented. "Thank you."

"Why are you up so early, Dr. Harding?"

"Habit, I suppose. Woke up at sunrise while in the field. And you can call me Sarah, Kelly. It sounds like you're talking to my dad when you call me Dr. Harding."

Kelly smiled. "Sure. So how is your father and Jess?"

"Good. Though my dad is right now doing some business with InGen."

"Oh," Kelly realized. "That's what you wanted to talk to my father about, isn't it? InGen?"

Sarah nodded. "I want your father's help to expose InGen and what happened in Costa Rica."

"You want him to risk his credibility?"

"The deaths of good people were covered up. They deserve better. They deserve justice."

Kelly sighed. "You're right. I wish I could help, but I'm just a kid."

"You can help by giving me some breakfast," Sarah encouraged.

Laughing, Kelly gave Sarah a plate of eggs, sausage, and bacon. "Here you go, Sarah."

"Thank you, Kelly. I can see why your father adores you."

"He loves kids," Kelly nodded. She shared a smile with the older woman, then went back to cooking.

* * *

Noah and Wu escorted a handcuffed Artie Bridges down the hallway. Noah kept his hand on his gun, tucked away in his pocket. He was ready to use it at the slightest provocation.

Finally, they reached the bathrooms. "Well thanks, gents," Artie said. "I think I can handle it from here-"

Noah put a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm not letting you out of my sight for a single second," he snarled in the man's ear.

Artie stared at him. "You gonna watch me pee?"

Noah's face was impassive.

"Whatever," Artie sighed, rolling his eyes. "You coming too, doc?" he asked Wu. "Might as well make it a threesome-"

"I think you'd better stay here, Dr. Wu," Noah said.

Wu raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Noah opened the bathroom door and shoved Artie inside. Then he went in and locked the door before Wu could follow.

Wu knocked on the door. "Noah? What are you doing?"

He heard Noah shouting inside: "Alright, you piece of garbage! You're gonna tell me what your superiors are planning."

"Get away from me!" Wu heard Artie shout.

"It's because of you that my friends are dead. You! So tell me what you're planning!"

"You're wasting your time."

Wu heard a dull thud - the impact of a fist. Artie groaned.

"Who are you working for?!" Noah shouted.

"Go to hell!"

Another impact, followed by another. Artie began to scream.

Eventually, the screams ended. They were replaced by a whimpering sound.

"Laura Sorkin and Lewis Dodgson," Wu heard Artie say. "Biosyn is working with a group called Earth First. An alliance to permanently ruin InGen. They came here last night by boat, undetected. They sabotaged the enclosures and placed explosive charges. I was to escort Dr. Gustavus off the island. We lured Peter Ludlow to Site B with InGen employees who were convinced to switch their loyalties. The other target is Wu. We also rigged communications. You thought you were talking to headquarters, but it was an elaborate set-up. No help is coming…"

Then there was a snapping sound and Artie let out a final scream. The door was unlocked and Noah walked out.

"Was that really necessary?" Wu asked.

"Yes," Noah answered simply. "For me it was."

Wu looked into the bathroom and saw Artie lying motionless in a heap.

"Did you kill him?" Wu exclaimed, horrified.

Noah glanced over his shoulder. "He's a confessed criminal. He would have been executed anyway."

"By the authorities," Wu argued. "Not by you. You can't just take the law into your own hands."

Noah pushed Wu up against the wall. "Listen here, you little worm. This ain't no game. I'm responsible for the lives of every man-jack on this island, including you., I do what I have to to keep you all safe, okay? If you don't like it, you can join him." He gestured to Artie's corpse.

Wu stared into the man's crazed eyes and felt certain that he would kill him. Just strangle him to death. Or break his neck, like he did to Artie. But instead, the man released him, and with a final threatening glare, walked off.

Wu was left there, breathless and terrified. Noah was out of control. He had to tell someone- someone he could trust. But who?

* * *

Elsewhere, Ian Malcolm woke up, covered in sweat. Another nightmare. He had been having them since Nublar. They were always the same. He would be pursued by the Rex with no hope of escape. Then Malcolm would feel the Rex's jaws close around his torso and pick him up. The Rex would shake him like a rag doll and then throw him onto the ground. The same horrible memory, replayed over and over again. Malcolm had been meeting with a physical therapist lately about his leg, but maybe he needed to make an appointment about these night terrors as well. Not that he could tell anyone the context of the dreams though…

Malcolm noticed that he was alone in bed and he heard voices coming from downstairs. After getting dressed, he went to his kitchen where Sarah Harding and his daughter were getting along and having a discussion.

"Good morning, Dad," Kelly greeted, handing her father a plate of eggs, bacon, and sausage. "I made you breakfast."

"You shouldn't have," Malcolm said, smiling as he took the plate. He nodded at the kitchen table's other occupant. "Good morning, Sarah."

"Good morning, Ian. Your daughter was just telling me about how she wants to join the gymnastics team when school starts soon."

"Yes, she can't wait for tryouts," Malcolm added, sitting down. "I'm very excited for her."

"Anyway, I gotta run," Kelly interrupted. "Arby is expecting me and I don't want to keep him waiting."

"Go ahead," Malcolm told her. Kelly kissed her dad on the cheek and waved goodbye to Sarah.

"I'll be back later," she said before leaving. Malcolm and Sarah were now alone.

"So have you reached a decision?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah," Malcolm admitted. "Who knows how many more deaths InGen may have to cover up to keep their dark secrets from becoming public. It has to stop before more lives are ruined. I think I'll give Grant a call."

"Do you think he'll help us?"

"I don't know," Malcolm replied honestly. "He wasn't very enthusiastic about it the last time we spoke. But I'll try. The survivors deserve proper closure and the casualties deserve proper justice. Hopefully I can convince Grant to give his support and his testimony. There's also Dr. Carter. The more help we can get, the better."

"Thank you for your help," Sarah said. "I understand that you could risk your reputation by doing this."

"Your family is risking a lot as well," Malcolm pointed out. ""And there are more important things than my reputation."

Malcolm limped over to a phone and started to make a few calls.

* * *

Levine heard a faint rustling in the wall. He raised an eyebrow at Abby and asked, "What is that?"

"I don't know," Abby replied. "Rats? Mice?"

Levine shivered. He hated rats.

The sound was moving up the wall, into the ceiling. Then across the ceiling, and fading away.

"That was weird," Levine commented.

"It sounded bigger than a rat," Abby said.

"What else could it be?"

* * *

Wu and Noah heard somebody let out a fearful scream. Noah ran in the direction of the scream and Wu followed. Racing through the hallways, they caught a glimpse of a worker being dragged around a corner by something, despite his struggles to break free.

"Help me!" the worker screamed desperately. "Don't let it take me!"

The worker clawed at the floor, but was then yanked out of sight with a final scream.

Noah and Wu went around the corner to see what had become of the employee, but he was already gone. The hallway hauntingly empty.

"Where did he go?" Wu asked.

"There," Noah answered. He pointed to an uncovered vent with claw marks around it. "He was taken in there."

Wu listened closely and he could hear something in the vents. "Oh hell," he said. "There are dinosaurs in this building. We have to tell Ruso."

Other workers appeared, having heard the screams. They gathered around the open vent, sharing frightened whispers.

They weren't as safe as they thought they were.

* * *

**I don't have too much to say except that I'm really glad that I decided to finally publish this. It meant going through what I had written and it brought back a lot of good memories. These stories aren't perfect, but they're the product of a storytelling game that meant a lot to me. I really enjoyed developing some of these characters and their dynamics. The next iteration is the last that I wrote with my co-writer, who I tried to make contact with again but failed. So this journey is nearly over. Even if I keep writing it by myself, it won't quite be the same because working on it with someone else was part of the charm.**

**Also, the scenes with Kelly referenced a character from "The Lost World" novel called Arby Benton. In that novel Kelly and Arby were students of Richard Levine who went to Isla Sorna with the other characters. Arby was also the inspiration for the character Franklin from Fallen Kingdom... who I'm not too fond of, honestly. Franklin isn't the most annoying Jurassic Park character, but I feel like they could have just brought back Lowery from the first Jurassic World movie instead. I still love Fallen Kingdom though. And yes, the mention of Kelly's gymnastics team was a reference to an infamous scene from "The Lost World" movie...**

**Anyway, I'll try to have the fifth iteration out soon and I appreciate any feedback.**


	5. Fifth Iteration

**Here it is, folks. The last iteration of this series, at least for now. Even if I continue this on my own, this marks the end of the original experience that I had with my friend/co-writer. Overall, we had a good run. This was something I thoroughly enjoyed doing and I hope it was something you thoroughly enjoyed reading.**

* * *

**Fifth**** Iteration**

"_Flaws in the system will now become severe."_

-IAN MALCOLM

Gustavus groaned and opened his eyes. He was aware of the floor gently swaying. He sat up and looked around. He was on a boat. There were people. Standing, talking. Gustavus was confused. "Excuse me? Who are you people?"

A man walked over to him. Ha face was cast in shadow. Then he stepped into the light, revealing his features.

"Lewis Dodgson!" Gustavus exclaimed.

"Yes, it's me," Dodgson confirmed. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, Dr. Gustavus."

Gustavus stood up. "Why am I here?"

"You were saved," Dodgson told him. "From those InGen fools. Now, you work for me."

"As if," Gustavus said. "I have a reputation to uphold. I can't be seen collaborating with someone like you."

"Is that so?" Dodgson smiled.

"Get me off this boat at once," Gustavus ordered.

"You're not the one making the orders anymore, Gustavus." That was a new voice. A woman came over to them. She was thin and frail, covered in scars. "Dr. Sorkin?" Gustavus asked.

"That's correct," Sorkin confirmed. "Welcome to Biosyn."

* * *

Trey Roland opened his eyes and he realized that he was in the infirmary, surrounded by the injured and the dying. Dr. Caldwell rushed over.

"Mr. Roland, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Like hell," Trey answered, groaning. "Can you give me an update on the situation?"

"Saboteurs set explosive charges around the island," Caldwell explained. "Supervisor Ruso ordered all personnel to return to the main facilities for safety. The saboteurs also left the enclosures open."

"Yeah, I figured that out," Trey said, remembering the Rex and the Dilophosaurus. "What about Ludlow?"

"Still missing," Caldwell replied. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"He was taken by masked men," Trey recalled. "They were armed and wanted Ludlow alive, but they left me for dead. I have no idea who they were. Are they going to send a rescue party to find Ludlow?"

Caldwell shook his head. "Ruso doesn't want to risk anymore lives. Her priority is the safety of the staff."

"Probably a good call," Trey considered. "Go tend to your other patients, Dr. Caldwell. They need you more than I do."

Caldwell nodded and attended to the infirmary's other occupants. Trey closed his eyes, trying to forget the nightmare he was currently in. Hopefully it would all be over soon.

Noah burst into the infirmary. "There are dinosaurs loose in the building. Everyone stay here."

That sent the people into an uproar. The din rose to an almost deafening volume. Noah shouted to be heard above the sound.

"Everyone must stay calm! You're going to be alright. I and a few other guards will protect you. Dr. Caldwell?"

"Yes?" the pale doctor asked.

"You're in charge."

Then he left the room.

The people continued to murmur and talk quietly among themselves. Trey grabbed the doctor's arm as he passed. "What kind of dinosaurs do you think are in here?" He asked.

"I would guess, small ones. Certainly nothing as big as a T-Rex," Caldwell responded.

* * *

A male T-Rex emerged from the jungle nearby the InGen facilities. He had new territory to explore and these strange buildings caught his interest. He also picked up a familiar scent. The small humans he had encountered earlier were close.

As he came closer to the buildings, he saw several workers flee when they spotted the Rex. The dinosaur roared at the workers, scaring them. The Rex enjoyed the sight of the small mammals fleeing for their life. However, the Rex wasn't interested in chasing them, though he did know how delicious their flesh was from the woman he had eaten earlier.

The Rex marked his territory on an abandoned vehicle, leaving his scent on it. Then he set off to explore the area, hoping to find more humans to mess with.

* * *

Ruso looked out the window and saw the T-Rex - a male, judging by the markings on his hide - running amuck. The megaton predator strolled down the road, stopping now and again to sniff at the strange, man made objects it came across.

Without taking her eyes off the predator, Ruso got on the intercom. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a Tyrannosaurus Rex loose in the facilities. Please exercise extreme caution. Do not attempt to go outdoors. If you are outdoors, come inside at once." She knew the announcement would be broadcast all over the island.

She heard someone come in, and turned to see Henry Wu. "Henry," she said. "You look freaked out."

"That's because I am," Wu told her. "There are dinosaurs loose in the building. I came here to tell you."

"What?" Ruso exclaimed. "What kind of dinosaurs?"

Wu took a shuddering breath. "I think… Troodon."

Ruso staggered back. "No… that's imposi-"

She was cut off by a low snarl emanating from the vent to her right.

"Quick!" Wu cried, running forward. "We have to cover the vents. They move through the vents!"

* * *

Atlanta heard the announcement over the intercom. A Rex was in the area.

"Don't worry," Kathy comforted. "We're safe in here. The Rex is too large."

Atlanta nodded, though she still had her doubts about InGen's abilities to keep them 'safe.'

"You should tell that to the infants," Jess commented. "They're frightened."

The baby dinosaurs in the nursery did seem to be scared of something. But what?

Then Atlanta and Jess heard something that made their blood freeze. An all-too familiar clicking sound that the girls had prayed never to hear again…

It sounded like it was coming from the walls. That was Kathy's initial thought. But it didn't make sense. What kind of animal could fit inside a wall?

"What is that?" she muttered aloud. She didn't expect either girl to answer, but Atlanta quickly said, "Troodon," in a hushed, terrified voice.

Kathy turned to her, confusion evident on her face. "What's a Troodon?" Evidently the news hadn't reached her yet.

Before Atlanta could explain, Jess let out a cry. She pointed to the vent. A pair of white eyes shone brightly in there.

Kathy recognized the danger, though she didn't know what a 'Troodon' was. She told Atlanta and Jess to run, to find help. They didn't need to be told twice and they obeyed Kathy at once. Once she saw that they had left the room, Kathy retrieved her tranquilizer gun. The dinosaur infants had to be protected. They were vulnerable and their safety was Kathy's priority. She turned back to the vent and… the pair of bright white eyes was gone.

Kathy wondered if the 'Troodon' had retreated deeper into the vents, but then she heard something behind her. A clicking sound and a hiss. Kathy spun around and saw a set of jaws lunging at her. Kathy screamed and the 'Troodon' was now all she could hear.

* * *

Harding heard shouting and he spotted his daughters running into the infirmary. Their faces were stricken with fear.

"What is it?" Harding asked.

"Troodon!" Jess screamed. "There are Troodon in the building!"

"No…" Harding said in dread.

"Where's Kathy?" Arnold asked the fear-stricken girls.

"She stayed behind to protect the babies," Jess explained, her voice trembling.

Arnold had seen Troodon in action. He'd been bitten by one, for crying out loud. He knew what even a lone Troodon was capable of. Kathy didn't stand a chance. With that in mind, he ran to the door, threw it open, and started down the long corridor to the nursery. He had little hope that Kathy was alive.

Arnold ran into the nursery and the first thing he noticed was the pool of blood decorating the floor. The smell was awful. "Oh God…"

There was no sign of Kathy, but a bloody trail could be made out leading to the vent. It didn't take Arnold long to piece together what had happened to the poor woman. An abandoned tranquilizer gun rested aside and Arnold picked up what he realized was Kathy's InGen badge, made unreadable by a coating of blood.

Harding and several workers showed up behind Arnold. "Where's Kathy?" Harding asked.

"Gone," Arnold replied bitterly. "Dead, most likely. Dammit."

Harding ordered several workers to stand guard to make sure the Troodon didn't come back. He also made sure that the guards had lethal weapons.

"If you see or hear anything, don't hesitate to shoot to kill," Harding instructed. "Troodon are not to be taken lightly under any circumstances."

"You should get the janitorial team as well," Arnold added. "God, what a mess…"

Harding nodded and left. Arnold turned away from the scene in disgust, wondering if there was anyplace left safe at Site B…

* * *

Wu and Ruso pushed a desk in front of the vent, then stood back.

"They come through the vents?" Ruso asked.

Wu nodded. "Yes. They're very… clever."

"I can see that," Ruso said.

Ruso's radio began to buzz. She answered it. "Hello?"

"Supervisor? Are you alright?" It was Arnold.

"Yes, I'm fine. Henry's here, too."

"Good. Where are you?"

"Control room. There are Troodon in the vents."

"Yes. They're running loose."

"Has anyone died?"

"Kathy. Aside from that, I don't know."

Kathy? That sweet girl? Ruso closed her eyes in sadness.

"May I speak to him?" Wu asked. Ruso gave him the radio. "Arnold, this is Wu. Where's Noah?"

"Infirmary I think."

"Listen to me, Arnold. Noah's unchained. He killed Artie."

There was a long pause. "I don't understand," Arnold said slowly.

Wu took a deep breath, then began to recount the events. "He locked himself and Artie in the bathroom. Then he began beating him. Finally, Artie told him what he wanted to know. Then he broke his neck." He was aware of Ruso staring at him with a shocked expression.

"Okay," Arnold said. "I'll deal with him."

* * *

Arnold went to the infirmary. "Have you seen Noah?" he asked Dr. Caldwell.

"He left a few minutes ago," Caldwell answered. "I think he went to the vending machine to get a soda or chips or something."

"Thank you," Arnold nodded. "I recommend you cover up the vents. There are dinosaurs in the buildings and they hide inside the walls."

"Will that be enough?" Caldwell asked, worried.

"Probably not," Arnold admitted. "We'll send extra guards though." He remembered the mainland attacks and how the Troodon had targeted the hospital, going after the sick and wounded. The weak and vulnerable. He shivered at the memory.

"I'm grateful," Caldwell said, relieved. Arnold then left the man to his work. Going through the hallways, Arnold did in fact find Noah by the vending machines.

"Noah, Wu told me about what you did to Artie."

Noah turned away from the vending machines and glanced at Arnold. "So what?"

"You're out of control," Arnold stated. "That was an unarmed defenseless man you killed. Unprovoked as well."

"People are dead because of him," Noah spat back. "He deserved death. He and his allies did all this. They're bringing down Site B."

"We could have used him."

"Or he would have just slowed us down. I did what I thought was right. I don't regret it and I offer no apologies."

Arnold brought up his gun. "That's unfortunate then. You'll be detained and when all this is over you'll be put on trial for murder."

"I did what was needed for all of us to survive!"

"I'm sorry, Noah. I really am."

Noah then suddenly leaped at Arnold, trying to grab the gun. Arnold was surprised by the sudden attack as Noah lunged, snarling angrily.

At some point, the gun went off. Arnold felt an incredible jolt, then pain - pain like nothing he'd ever felt before - in his stomach. He fell to the ground, loosening his hold on Noah, and groaned as he clutched his bleeding stomach.

Noah stood up, a look of abstract horror on his face. "Arnold…" he gasped. "What have I done…"

Immediately, he got on his knees and pressed his hands into Arnold's bleeding stomach. "Help!" he cried. "We need help! Someone! Get the doctor!"

* * *

Howard King heard a nearby roar and he shook, frightened. He looked around at the Earth First people Sorkin had brought with her. If they had any doubts or second thoughts, they didn't show it.

Dodgson had put King in charge of this assignment, but he was beginning to regret it.

InGen was dying, but Dodgson wouldn't be satisfied until operations on Site B were completely destroyed. InGen was going to go out with a bang.

Besides that, Sorkin wanted Wu. Alive.

However, King didn't like this. Were all these deaths really necessary? It was too late to back out now though. King had gotten in too deep. Besides, he owed Dodgson. He would have died on Nublar if it wasn't for Dodgson.

King sighed and sucked it in. Might as well get it over with. The sooner, the better.

* * *

Levine heard the cries echoing down the hall. He turned to Abby. Abby glanced at him, and without a moment's hesitation, ran out of the room. After a moment, Levine followed.

He chased Abby down the hall and around the corner, where he found the young woman on her knees next to a large bearded man. Both of them had their hands pressed into the stomach of a black man. "What happened?" he heard Abby ask.

"Shot," The bearded man replied.

"By you?"

"It was an accident," the man assured.

Abby turned and looked at Levine. "This man needs help, or he's going to die," she said.

Levine nodded. "Got it." He ran past them and down toward the infirmary.

Moments later Levine was helping Dr. Caldwell with a stretcher. The wounded Arnold was lifted off the ground and placed on the stretcher. He was then taken to the infirmary.

Several guards had also been attracted to the scene. They put Noah in handcuffs and he didn't resist, still in horror of having accidentally shot Arnold. Noah was then lead off as well.

Since Levine was with Caldwell, Abby was now alone. She sighed and sat against the vending machine. This is not what she had signed up for.

She then noticed that somebody was standing over her. Looking up, he saw Henry Wu.

"I heard what happened to Arnold," Wu explained. "I told him to deal with Noah. It's my fault…"

"Shut up," Abby interrupted. "Stop blaming yourself. Right now that doesn't matter. We need to focus on what's important. Helping each other and getting off this island."

Wu was silent for a moment, caught off guard. "Y-yeah. You're right. Huh."

* * *

Dodgson tapped Sorkin on the shoulder. "I think we've admired the view long enough, Dr. Sorkin. It's time to get what we came for," he said.

Sorkin lowered her binoculars, and nodded. "Yes, I agree. Caleb?"

Caleb walked up to the pair. "Yes?"

"Are you and your friends ready?"

Caleb smirked. "Ready and waiting, ma."

"Good. It's time. Go and get Dr. Wu."

Caleb nodded. As he turned to leave, Sorkin caught his arm and made him face her. Her face was serious. "Be careful," she said firmly.

Caleb squeezed her arm. "I will be." Then he let go of her arm and joined the other men. They got into another boat and sped off toward the island in a whoosh of spray. Sorkin watched with a worried look on her face.

"That boy of yours is smart. He'll be fine," Dodgson assured her.

* * *

Ludlow groaned in pain, the bruises Dodgson gave him still present. He was currently alone, but was in no shape to attempt escape from his captors. However, he wasn't alone for long. Ludlow heard a door open and somebody walked in, giving Biosyn's prisoner some company. Ludlow couldn't see them from the position he was lying in.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Ludlow?" a voice, definitely male, asked.

"Like shit," Ludlow answered. "It's probably going to get worse with the day I've been having."

"I wouldn't say that," the voice responded. "The day has only just begun, after all. Plenty of time for things to turn around."

Ludlow was surprised when he felt somebody untie him and then help him off the ground.

"Why are you helping me?" Ludlow weakly asked.

"We're on the same side," Ludlow's rescuer explained. "I have no loyalty to Dodgson or Biosyn."

Ludlow then realized where he had heard that voice before. "Dr. Gustavus?"

"Yes," the man confirmed. "I was brought here too and we can escape together, but we don't have much time."

Ludlow nodded and went along with Gustavus.

* * *

The boat containing Caleb and the other Earth First people docked. Caleb grabbed his AK-37, recalling with some amusement the tedious legalities he had gone through to acquire weapons. He and his companions then climbed onto the dock. Weaver, the captain, would stay behind and keep the engine running in case they needed to make a quick getaway.

"The garage isn't far from here," Caleb said as he examined a map of the island. "We'll go there first and find a car. Then we'll head to the facilities."

With that, he and his companions headed off into the dark jungle.

* * *

"She's dead, isn't she?" Atlanta asked Harding. They had been moved to the infirmary for their safety, though Atlanta and Jess didn't feel very safe at the moment. "They killed Kathy."

Harding couldn't bring himself to lie to his daughters, especially since they already knew the truth. "Yes," he admitted. "Yes, she's dead. I'm sorry."

"This was a mistake," Jess said softly. "We should have never come here. What were we thinking? It was so stupid…"

Harding hugged Atlanta and Jess tightly, trying to comfort them. "This isn't your fault," he insisted. "None of this is your fault. I'm sorry for all you girls had to be put through. When this is over, I'll make it up to you. Promise."

Atlanta and Jess believed him. Despite their circumstances, they actually didn't doubt that they were going to survive. The Hardings had been through a lot this summer. But if they lived through the Nublar Incident, the Costa Rica attacks, and Wu's expedition, they could live through this as well.

"Will you stay with us?" Jess asked.

"Yes," Harding promised. "Nothing is more important to be right now than your safety."

Atlanta and Jess hugged him back tightly and for a second, nothing else mattered.

* * *

The helicopter settled on the ground, and Bobbie Carter blew a sigh of relief. Flying always made her anxious - especially when there was a hurricane alert in the area. Carter thanked the pilot and then stepped out onto hard, dry ground. She surveyed her surroundings. The helipad was encroached by forest. Lush, exotic vegetation - high-towering trees and leaves the size of her - decorated the area.

But as far as she could tell, there was no welcoming committee. This was unusual. Normally, someone would be here to pick her up. But she was alone here - just her and the pilot. Maybe they're running late, Carter thought. That was probably it. But she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Suddenly Carter was thrown off her feet by a large blast. She struck the ground hard and felt blood running down her face. She tried to get up, but then collapsed due to the pain. She groaned weakly.

The helicopter was destroyed. The pilot was dead. Somebody had rigged the helipad with explosive charges and Carter was lucky to have survived. She was not uninjured, but she was at least alive.

Carter laid on the ground, trying to focus on her breathing. She could have been killed.

In the distance, she heard a loud roar from some animal she didn't recognize. Carter hoped that it wasn't a predator and that she would last until somebody found her. Hopefully not the people who must have set the charges. She wondered how long she would be alone until somebody or something came for her…

* * *

Levine watched Dr. Caldwell try to remove the bullet from Arnold's stomach. After drawing a lot of blood, and more than a handful of agonized moans from Arnold, Caldwell angrily slammed his tweezers down and proclaimed, "I can't do this. I was never meant to do this. I need Carter. Where in the world is she?"

"Who is Carter?" Levine asked.

"The doctor I asked to come up here," Caldwell explained. "She was supposed to be here-" He froze mid-sentence. "I completely forgot to send someone down to pick her up. She could have been waiting for hours. I'm such an idiot."

"No you're not," Harding told him. "You're overwhelmed, that's the problem. Don't worry; I'll drive down there and check if she's there."

"Thank you," Caldwell said. "Take someone with you. Reynolds, maybe."

Harding nodded. He turned and found Atlanta and Jess. "There's someone I have to go get. A doctor. You two stay here, okay?"

"Okay," Atlanta said. "Are you bringing anyone with you?"

"I will," Harding said.

The male T-Rex was still in the area, exploring the InGen facilities. Luckily, a distraction was going to be created to allow Harding to slip away unnoticed.

Harding used a different exit with Reynolds while a brave worker got the Rex's attention with a flare gun. The Rex was more interested in the flares than the worker, at least for the moment. While this happened Harding quickly got in a jeep and drove away, Reynolds in the passenger seat. Reynolds looked back and saw that the Rex didn't seem to hear them. He sighed in relief. The worker who had volunteered also made it indoors safely.

"What will we do about the Rex when we come back?" Reynolds asked Harding.

"I have a radio," Harding explained. "We'll simply contact Ruso again and she'll set up another diversion."

Reynolds nodded. This whole thing was risky, but would pay off if they got Carter back. People were dying and their lives were on the line.

Then an awful scent caught Reynolds' attention. "What is t-"

"The Rex marked his territory on the jeep," Harding quickly answered. "Time was not a luxury we had, so I just picked the nearest jeep. We'll just have to deal with the smell."

"Lovely," Reynolds grimaced as they drove down the road toward the helipad.

* * *

Carter picked through the remains of the helicopter to see if there was anything she could salvage. A first aid kit, a flashlight, even a radio. She managed to recover the pilot's weapon, but aside from that, nothing. It was better than nothing, she thought as she checked the gun. It seemed to be in working order. Of course there was only one wait to test. But firing a weapon on this island was sure to attract unwanted attention. Or, possibly, some help.

Making up her mind, Carter switched off the safety and fired the gun into the ocean. It produced an ear-splitting bang that made her ears ache. She waited and listened, to see if anyone would come. Paranoid, she decided to climb and hide in a tree in case something dangerous came.

* * *

Harding saw smoke in the distance and heard a loud gunshot. He feared the worse and he drove faster. praying that they weren't too late. His heart sank when he saw the remains of a helicopter up ahead. "What happened?" Harding asked.

"I'm guessing the saboteurs prepared for any unwelcome visitors to the island," Reynolds hypothesized. "Which is bad news for us."

Harding was frustrated that they had come here for apparently nothing, but then he heard branches snapping and he turned to see a woman climbing down a tree. Her clothes were dirty and she was bleeding in several places.

"Dr. Carter?" Harding asked.

"Yes," the woman answered, nodding. "Can you tell me what the hell is going on here?"

"On the drive back," Harding replied. "We can't waste any time out here. It's too dangerous."

Carter got in the jeep and they started driving back to the facilities, Harding explaining how dire the situation was and what Carter had gotten herself involved in.

* * *

In the control room, Ruso examined the monitor. "That hurricane's going to hit in a matter of hours," she said before turning to Wu. "We should evacuate everyone to the storm bunker. It's not safe enough here."

"But what about the dinosaurs?" Wu argued.

"The dinosaurs are the least of our worries now. This hurricane's going to be a bad one. It's going to blow us clean off the map if we don't get to that bunker."

"What's your plan?" Wu folded his arms over his chest.

"I don't know yet," Ruso said.

* * *

**Meanwhile, off the coast of Isla Sorna…**

Thompson, Captain of the cargo vessel S.S. Venture, realized that they weren't going to make it to the mainland before Hurricane Clarissa hit them.

He didn't like the look of this. The winds were picking up, the skies were darkening, and seabirds were flying away in a frightened attempt to flee the storm. The hurricane was going to be a big one and it was almost on them.

One of the crew ran up to Captain Thompson, his face stricken with panic. "We're going to get caught out here by the hurricane! What can we do?"

"Prepare for the worst," Thompson replied. "Secure what we can and brace ourselves for God's wrath. And most importantly, pray for His protection."

This wasn't the answer the other man had been hoping for, but it was the best comfort Thompson could offer him. The man ran off and Thompson closed his eyes, saying a silent prayer.

Any moment now they would be at the hurricane's mercy. Though Thompson didn't consider himself a religious man, asking to be spared from this act of God seemed like the only thing he could do for himself and his men. He hoped that was enough.

* * *

The announcement came on the loudspeaker. "Attention everyone, this is Lori Ruso. I have news. A hurricane is about to hit the island. We must evacuate to the storm bunker at once. Wait there until I arrive."

Trey, who had listened quietly to the announcement, reached out and grabbed Dr. Caldwell's arm. "What are we going to do?" he asked, panicked. "What about Arnold and me? We can't walk."

"We'll figure something out," Caldwell assured him, but on the inside he was panicking as he tried to think of a way to get all the injured to the bunker in time. "Wait until Ruso gets here. She'll have a plan. In the meantime, let's get ready to move."

* * *

There was also still the Rex to deal with. Somebody had to lure him away so InGen personnel could evacuate to the bunker. One man immediately volunteered. Noah.

Bravely heading out to face the dinosaur, Noah climbed into a jeep and loudly honked the horn. "Hey, you! Hey, stupid!"

This caught the Rex's attention. He looked at Noah and roared ferociously. If Noah had any second thoughts, he didn't show them. His expression was one of determination.

The Rex lunged forward and charged Noah. The man hit the jeep's gas and started driving away from the facilities. The Rex pursued without hesitation, roaring loudly. Within moments, both Noah and the Rex were gone. Roars could be heard in the distance.

Thanks to Noah, they had an opening to evacuate now. And they weren't about to waste it.

* * *

Harding could heard the tyrant's footsteps growing softer as they faded into the distance. It appeared as though the beast had found something else to occupy it.

"That hurricane is coming in," Carter, who was sitting in the passenger seat, noted. Harding nodded in agreement. The sky was dark gray with clouds churning in expectance of a great storm. "I sure hope Ruso has a plan to get everyone to the bunker, because we're gonna need one."

The first of the buildings became visible through the jungle. The jeep skidded around the corner and stopped in front of the infirmary. Harding and the other two passengers clambered out and stood in the soft mud.

"I think the coast is clear," Reynolds announced, his hand resting lightly on his gun.

The three of them crossed the road. Harding opened the door and ushered his companions through. They were greeted by Wu and Ruso.

"You made it back," Wu said, clearly relieved.

Carter looked at the sick and injured people lying in the cots. "Looks like you had a rough night," she said.

"You don't know the half of it," Ruso said. "We're just about to evacuate to the bunker. We need people to escort us and keep us safe. Would you be able to help, Gerry?"

"I'll do my best," Harding promised.

Harding spotted his daughters on the other side of the infirmary, sitting back against the wall. He went over to them. "Hey."

"How'd it go?" Jess asked.

"We got Dr. Carter, you remember her, back safely. But her helicopter was destroyed. And right now we're getting ready to move to the storm bunker. Ready to go?"

The girls nodded and stood up. "There are still Troodon in these walls," Atlanta pointed out. "And we'd prefer not to be in the same building as them."

Since they were children, Atlanta and Jess were meant to be the first evacuated to the bunker for their safety.

* * *

Howard King heard a nearby roar. "Was that the T-Rex?" he asked Caleb, worried.

"It could be a T-Rex, since there are six on Sorna," Caleb answered.

King's face went white with fear. "Six?"

"Don't worry," Caleb reassured. "We're perfectly sa-"

Their jeep turned a corner and Caleb saw another jeep heading right toward them. And behind that jeep was a pursuing T-Rex.

The screams began.

* * *

The Rex was in hot pursuit of Noah's jeep. Noah stomped on the gas so the jeep leaped forward like some kind of growling animal. He looked in the rear-view mirror and saw the Rex falling behind. He cheered.

Then he felt a great shuddering impact as his body was flung through the windshield and came to rest on a bed of wet leaves. Weakly he lifted his head and saw what had happened. He had hit a rock. He dropped his head and fell unconscious.

* * *

Wu went looking for Atherton. Nobody had seen him recently, but Wu had to find him and make sure his mentor got to the storm bunker in time.

Wu knocked on the door to Atherton's office. No answer, but Wu still felt like he shook check. The door was unlocked, so Wu walked in. It looked empty at first, but then Wu heard a cough. Behind his desk, Atherton was lying on the floor with a framed photograph from many years ago. Atherton, Hammond, and Lockwood with the 'dwarf element' responsible for starting InGen.

"Norman?" Wu asked, concerned.

"It's all gone to hell, hasn't it?" Atherton asked with a sigh. "Everything was different back then. The possibilities of what we could do with this technology was so exciting. We were going to share it with the world. Give them wonders. But all it's brought was broken friendships and death." He coughed again. "I thought nothing like the Incident could happen here. I thought we could start over with Site B. See our dream brought to life before…"

"Before what?"

"I have cancer, Henry," Atherton admitted. "I won't be around much longer. I had hoped to see the project I began with John and Benjamin completed before I left the world. But I realize now that was never going to happen. Not even in your capable hands. It was damned from the start."

Wu was silent for a moment, stunned by the reveal that Atherton was dying. Finally, he spoke. "There's a storm coming. We have to evacuate to the bunker."

"We were fools," Atherton said to himself. "Playing God. How many are dead because of us? And Benjamin wanted to take it even farther…"

This got Wu's attention. He knew very little about what had driven Lockwood away. "What did he want to do, Norman?"

"After starting InGen, Hammond proposed Jurassic Park," Atherton explained. "But Lockwood had different ideas. He wanted to go down a path we couldn't follow. Maybe I should have tried harder to de escalate things. But Hammond never made amends with Lockwood before his death." He sighed.

Wu heard people run by as the office as they evacuated the building. "We need to leave, Norman. It isn't safe here."

Atherton finally allowed himself to be taken out of his office. Wu helped him, hoping that everyone would be able to reach safety in time before the hurricane struck…

* * *

Lori stared at the screen in horror. She'd seen Noah crash, and now watched helplessly as the T-Rex made his way slowly toward the battered jeep. He sniffed cautiously at the jeep, then moved further down the road to Noah. Lori clapped a hand over her mouth as the tyrant bent down and picked Noah up in his jaws. Lori looked away, unable to watch the inevitable.

When she looked back, there was no Noah, and no T-Rex.

Lori collapsed into a chair and sobbed. What a mess. What a terrible mess.

Then she heard a voice behind her. "Mrs. Ruso?" Lori turned and saw Abby standing there.

"Yes?" Lori asked, wiping away the tears.

""You better come down to the bunker," Abby told her.

"Right," Lori said, standing up. "Right, I'm coming."

* * *

Ludlow and Gustavus ran through the jungle, hearing gunshots going off behind them. The two men had managed to steal a smaller boat and escape back to the island, but their absence was quickly noticed. Men and women were sent after Ludlow and Gustavus to stop them. Capture them alive, if possible. Kill them, if necessary.

Ludlow was never much of an athletic person and he found himself quickly running out of breath. The people behind them were gaining, but Ludlow wasn't sure how long he could keep this up.

"Come on!" Gustavus said to Ludlow, pulling him forward.

A bullet sailed forward and struck Ludlow in the shoulder. He cried out in pain from the shot and stumbled.

To make things worse, it seemed like the weather was taking a nasty turn as well. Anyone outside would need to find shelter before it was too late.

Ludlow saw that their chances didn't look good. But this was better than giving Sorkin and Dodgson the satisfaction of being their prisoner. He tried his best to keep up with Gustavus, praying for a miracle. Hoping that luck would be on their side.

Then, Ludlow and Gustavus heard pained screams coming from behind them. Gustavus stopped and looked back. He saw shapes in the dark, dinosaurs. They were attacking the men.

Gustavus turned to the exhausted Ludlow, and the pair shared a frightened, panicked look.

"Come on," Gustavus said. "There's a maintenance shed not too far from here."

The two men carried on through the jungle, leaving the sounds of screams and gunfire behind them.

Eventually, the screams of the dying were silenced. The commotion made by the armed men had gotten the attention of Gustavus' raptor pack. The raptors ambushed these loud humans, quickly and effectively taking them out. The last time they attempted to attack a group of humans had not gone too well for them, but the raptors had learned from their mistakes. The raptors could smell two other humans nearby, but did not care for them. There was more than enough meat from these new kills. Besides, the raptors had to eat fast. The winds had changed and every creature on the island knew that something terrible was coming to the island. The raptors would soon have to find sanctuary. They had no idea that they saved their creator by killing these men.

* * *

Caleb parked the jeep and got out. King was still shaking after the close encounter with the Rex.

"Hey, you ready to do this?" Caleb asked.

King seemed unsure, but he nodded. "Yeah, I am."

Caleb gripped his gun tightly. "Good." He turned to the other men with him. "Let's go finish InGen off. We take the staff out and Site B will be ours."

* * *

After walking for about ten minutes, Gustavus and Ludlow saw the roof of the maintenance shed poking out above the trees.

Gustavus sighed with relief.

Ludlow peered into the darkness around the shed.

"What if there's something lurking around?" he asked.

Gustavus reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol. Ludlow regarded him with wide eyes.

"Stole it from one of the guys on the boat," Gustavus explained.

The gun looked natural in his hand, like it was a part of him. Gustavus shivered with unease. I'm not a killer, he thought, remembering how he had accidently shot that guard.

Gustavus and Ludlow crept closer to the shed. The coast looked clear. Gustavus broke into a run and closed the distance to the shed, Ludlow limping as fast as he could behind him. Gustavus threw open the door and held it open for Ludlow, who slammed it shut. The two men sank against the wall, coughing and wheezing with a mixture of terror and adrenaline.

It was pitch black in the shed. Not a single ray of light.

"You got a torch?" Gustavus asked.

"No," Ludlow told him, still panting.

"Maybe there's one in here somewhere." Gustavus stood up and began rummaging around, stumbling around like a blind man. After a moment, Ludlow joined him.

* * *

Richard Levine and Abby were helping Dr. Caldwell evacuate the wounded from the infirmary. It was a slow process, but they were making good progress with the little time that they had. Though they weren't sure if they could everyone to the bunker in time.

A new figure walked into the infirmary. He was dressed in camouflage and body armor. Heavily armed. Nobody recognized him.

"Who are you?" Dr. Caldwell asked.

The figure answered by lifting his gun and firing. Caldwell was struck by the bullet and he hit the ground, bleeding.

Abby screamed.

"Get down!" Levine screamed, pulling Abby to the floor as the figure fired his gun once more. The guards helping with the evacuation were cut down before they could get a shot at the figure.

Sounds of gunfire and screams echoed throughout the Site B facilities. Caleb Sorkin's team had arrived. And they were here to end InGen's operations on Site B… permanently.

Levine scrambled out of the room, Abby at his heels. Levine looked back, and he was filled with horror. The intruders were killing the staff left and right, leaving no survivors and ignoring their cries for mercy.

"Get back!" Abby hissed but it was too late. One of the figures turned his head and saw Levine peeking out. He raised his gun and fired. Levine ducked back in the nick of time. Abby grabbed his arm and they started running down the hall.

* * *

Howard King was breathing heavily. The gun was shaking in his hands. He listened to the screams, listened to the gunshots that silenced them.

King dropped his gun and it hit the ground. He couldn't do this. He had dreaded this moment and now that it was here he couldn't bring himself to use a gun against other human beings. He was already associated with death and murder, but he couldn't do it himself. He couldn't pull the trigger.

King's knees buckled beneath him and he fell forward, unable to stand. He had hesitated. The guilt and regret was too much for him to bare. What the hell had he gotten himself into? How had he allowed things to go so out of hand? This wasn't corporate sabotage anymore. This was terrorism. This was a massacre. Things had gone too far. Dodgson and Sorkin had gone too far… but it was too late to stop them.

Behind him, King heard a clicking sound. Turning around, he saw a pair of eyes looking at him from the shadows.

They were the eyes from his nightmares. King's body froze. He willed his limbs to move, but nothing happened. He was a dead man walking.

The Troodon in the shadows took a shuddering step toward him, then another. King broke into a sweat and peed himself, but he still couldn't move.

Then a burst of gunfire behind him, and the Troodon scuttled back into the darkness, its skin momentarily visible in the bright flashes. King turned, broken out of the spell, and saw one of Caleb's men standing there. The man looked at him.

"What are you doing, man? Why'd you drop your gun?"

King stammered but couldn't answer.

The man jerked his head. "Come on, don't get left behind in this place, or it'll be the last mistake you'll ever make."

Picking up his gun, King followed the man.

* * *

When Dodgson and Sorkin realized that a hurricane was coming their way, they knew that they had to get ashore. Site B would be a lot safer than a boat at sea in this weather.

"I know a building we can seek shelter in," Sorkin told Dodgson, remembering the Site B spread from her previous visits to the island.

"Is it secure?" Dodgson asked, wondering if it would protect them from both the hurricane and the dinosaurs.

"It's our best chance," Sorkin answered, her voice a little unsure. It wasn't like they had much of a choice.

As they docked their boat and got off, Sorkin tried to reach her son by radio.

"Caleb, can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you. What is it?"

"There's a hurricane approaching the island. Wrap up what you're doing and make sure that you get somewhere secure. Don't take any unnecessary chances."

"We'll try to finish up and find sanctuary. Don't worry about us. Worry about yourself."

"Just promise me you'll be careful and stay safe." Her voice was worried.

"Yeah," Caleb answered. "I promise. Talk to you soon."

Sorkin sighed and turned back to Dodgson.

"Have you heard from the men we sent after Ludlow and Gustavus?" she asked him.

"No," Dodgson answered. "But given these circumstances, I think we may have seen the last of those two. If the hurricane doesn't get them, the dinosaurs will."

"Don't jump to conclusions," Sorkin scolded. "We'll deal with them later. Right now, let's focus on getting ourselves out of harm's way."

Dodgson nodded and they continued with their business.

* * *

"I found one!" Ludlow exclaimed excitedly.

A moment later, the bright artificial beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness of the maintenance shed.

"Good job," Gustavus congratulated.

Ludlow shone the beam around the small interior. Shelves lined the walls from one end to another. A motorcycle leaned against the far back wall. "We could use that to escape," Ludlow suggested.

Gustavus shook his hairy head. "You wouldn't make it ten yards, not with raptors on the loose."

"So I guess we're stuck here?"

"Guess so."

"I wonder if there's any food."

The two men searched the shelves hoping to find some canned food or anything, but came up disappointed.

"Unless you like eating hay and grain, I think we're out of luck," Gustavus said.

Gustavus heard a chirping sound and turned. A Compsognathus stood on the floor in front of him. The little green dinosaur looked up at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Ludlow, look."

Ludlow shone on the beam on it, and the little dinosaur blinked in the harsh light, but it did not flee.

"How'd it get in here?"

"I don't know." Gustavus kicked at the creature, and it fled behind a shelf. He followed it. He arrived just in time to see the thin green tail disappear through a three-foot-long hole in the wall.

"That's not good. A raptor or Troodon would have no trouble squeezing through there."

"We have to find something to block it."

"Agreed. Let's see if we can find a radio, too."

While Gustavus looked for something to block the hole with, Ludlow looked for a radio. It wasn't long before he heard the chirping sound again. Except it was louder and coming from more than one compy.

"Ludlow…" Gustavus said as he backed away from the chirping.

Ludlow turned and saw that the compy had returned with friends. Now a dozen compys shared the maintenance shed with the two men. They chirped at each other excitedly. They had come here for shelter from the weather, but they found these humans very interesting. Ludlow felt their curious gazes. For now, they weren't doing anything. They only watched…

* * *

Gerry Harding and Bobbie Carter were in the storm bunker with some of the Site B personnel and the wounded, including Ray Arnold and Trey Roland. Atlanta and Jess were in the bunker as well, huddled together in fear.

Harding tried to reach Dr. Caldwell, but all he heard on the radio were gunshots. He was unable to reach Ruso and Wu as well.

"Any luck?" Carter asked.

"No," Harding answered, shaking his head. "No response."

He hoped that they were safe and on their way to the bunker, because they were quickly running out of time…

* * *

The little dinosaurs milled around Gustavus' feet, sniffing his mud-caked shoes. One of them even snatched up his shoelace in its tiny jaws and tugged at it. Gustavus was aware that even these small, seemingly harmless dinosaurs could in fact kill you. Their bites contain a venom that causes paralysis. If you got enough of those bites, you'd be incapacitated, allowing the critters to devour you. But they usually only went after dead or dying animals. Gustavus was neither of those.

"Stop playing around," Ludlow said. "And get that hole blocked up."

Suddenly, one of the compys let out a shrill chirp. The dinosaurs became motionless, quiet, their heads bobbing up and down, their bright yellow eyes gleaming in the darkness. Gustavus swallowed. Something was wrong. Then he heard it; a long, throaty purr. He knew the sound all too well. It made his blood freeze.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Ludlow whispered back, his voice cracking.

"Give me the torch."

He reached for it, and felt the weight in his hand as Ludlow passed it to him. Gustavus shone the flashlight at the hole. The compys blinked in the harsh light, their pupils dilating.

A raptor head appeared in the door. The big pale eye dilated against the beam of the torch. The compys shrieked and scattered in every direction. Gustavus groaned.

"What do we do?" Ludlow cried.

The raptor hissed and stuck its head through the hole. Gustavus remembered the gun in his hand, raised it and fired three times. Each one was a bulls eye. The raptor recoiled shrieking in pain. Gustavus heard the sounds of many raptors barking and braying to one another. He looked at Ludlow and saw his own terror reflected in the man's eyes.

They were surrounded.

* * *

Wu heard the gunshots and knew that he had to get himself and Atherton to the shelter and out of danger as quickly as possible.

"What's going on?" Atherton asked, coughing.

"Nothing good," Wu told Atherton, hurrying him down the facility's hallway. It was either the Troodon inside the building or the terrorists that had planted the explosives. Wu wasn't sure which option he preferred.

An armed man stepped into the hallway in front of Wu and Atherton, lifting his gun at the geneticists. The man was wearing body armor and jungle camouflage. His face was hidden behind a mask with night vision goggles. Wu and Atherton lifted their arms up when the man pointed his weapon at them.

"You're Henry Wu," the man realized.

Wu nodded, not saying anything.

The masked man pointed at Atherton with his gun. "Who's this?"

"Norman Atherton," Wu's mentor quickly spoke.

"We only need Wu alive," the armed man said as he prepared to shoot Atherton. Wu stepped in front of him.

"No!" he screamed. "If you want me, I'll do whatever you say. I'll go with you. I'll be your hostage if that's why you want me alive."

Wu couldn't see the armed man's face, but he seemed to be thinking. He figured that maybe Atherton had some value if Wu would put his life on the line for him.

"You're both then coming with me," the armed man decided. He got behind the two and told them to move forward. Wu and Atherton did not dare disobey. Wu heard their captor talk into a radio.

"I have Wu," the man spoke. "Let's go."

* * *

**And... that's it. Seriously. After I wrote Wu and Atherton getting captured, I lost contact with my co-writer and I haven't heard from him since. So at least for the moment, this is how the story ends. With a cliffhanger about Wu and Atherton becoming prisoners of Caleb's team, while Ludlow and Gustavus are surrounded by raptors, many of the survivors are huddled in a storm bunker, and others are unaccounted for. No resolution, no closure. At least for now.**

**The reveal that Atherton is dying of cancer is a reference to the first novel, where Atherton was already dead because of his cancer. Here it was changed so that he wasn't dead yet, which I thought could be interesting. I'm sure that anyone who has watched Fallen Kingdom knows what Atherton is talking about when he mentioned that Lockwood "wanted to take it farther." His history with Hammond and Lockwood was one of the main reasons I chose Atherton as a character for "An Act of God." The other reason was his relationship with Wu, since as I've mentioned before Wu is arguably the main character of this fan fic series.**

**The S.S. Venture was the name of the ship that took the male Rex to San Diego in "The Lost World" movie so the inclusion of it and Captain Thompson was intended to be significant later in the story while also setting up the next chapter of this franchise.**

**Caleb mentioning that Sorna had six Rexes is also something that is canon in the films according to the web marketing for Fallen Kingdom, though we've only seen one of the Site B T-Rexes so far.**

**And you might remember Bobbie Carter from "The Chaos Continues." She was a doctor who survived the mainland attacks. It was mentioned earlier in this story that they had called in another doctor from the mainland and Dr. Carter was referenced earlier in the story as well, so her inclusion isn't completely out of nowhere. Though it is admittedly late in the story for her to be introduced, I didn't want to just abandon that plot point about a doctor being called in from the mainland. It also might have been my co-writer that reintroduced Carter into the story.**

**But, yeah. That's it. I honestly do want to continue and finish this story one day, even if I have to do it by myself. I am open to collaboration if anyone wants to help me out and contribute, if you're interested just PM me. Once again, thank you for reading this. "An Act of God" and its predecessors is my love letter to the Jurassic Park franchise. I included elements from all aspects of the franchise, even the comics and the video games. This was a lot of fun to write and I hope you've enjoyed this series. Thank you for taking time to read my tribute to one of my favorite franchises ever. Maybe one day "An Act of God" will return. Until then, this is goodbye...**

* * *

_If there's one thing the history of evolution has taught us, it's that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands to new territories. It crashes through barriers. Painfully, maybe even… dangerously. I'm simply saying that life finds a way._


End file.
